Crossing Lines
by JasperLuver48
Summary: Every relationship, whether it be romantic or friendship, has lines that we must get across to move forward. This is Edward and Jasper's story told from Edward's POV. How many lines are too many?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a story I've been working on for almost a year now. I started working on it in January with the brainstorming help of my two best friends coachlady1 and tiffaninichole. They helped me outline and shape this into something worth reading. Then once I started writing the first chapter I knew I was going to need the help of someone who had been through something more or less like what happens in the first chapter and one of my other best friends at the time, jacksonmccoy, graciously offered to help me write it tastefully while still getting my point across. He had the opportunity to help me with the first two chapters before he was taken away from us way too soon. This story is dedicated to him in more ways than one and wouldn't be half of what it is without his help and encouragement and assurance that it was okay to write it. **

**This is going to be seven to eight short segments and once I'm finished writing it, I'll post one a day to follow this first one. It's taking me a lot longer to write than it normally would because I want it to be perfect and it's hard to get through sometimes when it reminds me so much of my friend whom I loved very much.**

**The reason I'm posting the first segment is that today is a very special person in my life's birthday. MandaLyn is someone Jack introduced me to because he knew we would make great friends and we certainly have. She is now one of my best friends and one of the only people who truly understands the bond I had and doesn't try to make me feel bad about it. She now lives just an hour away from me and even though we don't see each other enough, she knows how much I love her and how much she means to me. I knew this would mean more to her than posting some random one shot because of the dedication and love put into it to make it as good as I could. **

**Happy Birthday sweetie! I love you, you mean the world to me and I hope you have the best day ever! You are special and you deserve it!**

**Mizzhyde helped in the editing of this and any other mistakes are solely my own. Also, there are some harsh words that I absolutely do NOT condone or support in this segment but they were necessary to the plot and have been approved by Jack, so I know it'll be okay. I did shed tears while writing this one.**

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><p><strong>Segment 1 <strong>

The day was gloomy at best as I wandered around the small town of Forks, Washington. If the town was going to be my home for the next several years I decided it would be a good idea to familiarize myself with my surroundings. I'd been walking around for nearly an hour and had seen everything I figured there was to see so I proceeded to head home. I cut through a deserted park when I heard a loud, rough voice call out.

"What are you looking at faggot?" My head snapped to side to see what was going on; I knew no one knew who I was so they couldn't possibly be talking to me.

I saw four very large, very scary looking boys approaching me rapidly and my heart dropped to my stomach, they had to be at least fourteen or fifteen. Two of them had short bleached blond hair, one had curly brown hair, and the biggest boy with the long black hair was obviously from the Quileute reservation just down the road. They did not look pleased as they came closer and I instantly hated being the new kid in a small town.

"Me?" I questioned quietly, looking around to see if there was anyone else nearby. There wasn't.

"Yes, _you_. Are you stupid or something? Ain't no one else here..." Wonderful, I thought to myself. I really didn't need to be making enemies so soon, especially ones who were obviously looking for a fight.

I started to back up slowly, eyeing them carefully as my mind furiously tried to figure out the best way to escape the situation. Truthfully I knew it was no use; they were all bigger and probably faster than me.

"I-I-I wasn't looking at anything..." I replied nervously while still backing up, wishing they'd just leave already.

"Well, it looked like you were staring at my friend Mike here..." The taller blond said as he threw his head to the side to indicate that he meant the shorter blond boy. "And we don't appreciate faggots staring us down..."

I startled visibly when I backed right up into something hard and rough, a tree trunk by the feel of it but I was far too petrified to actually confirm my suspicions. They all laughed at me. "I'm not gay... I swear I wasn't looking at him..." I declared again, my voice shaky as hell and not very convincing.

"I don't believe you," the one name Mike snarled at me, as he grabbed me by the front of the shirt and got in my face. I wanted to hit him or push him out of my way but my instincts told me that it wouldn't end well for me if I did; there were too many of them.

I was terrified and nearing tears as Mike glared at me. "Awww... Look, Ben, he's gonna cry... The little baby is going to cry." The boy with the curly hair began to laugh maniacally.

"Please leave me alone..." I begged, my voice barely above a whisper. "I wasn't doing anything wrong... Please?"

"Well... isn't that just adorable? He's gonna beg..." The taller blond was smirking at me and then without warning, he swiftly kicked my legs out from underneath my body and I hit the muddy ground hard with a thud.

They all started laughing hysterically as they formed a circle around me, essentially towering over me. "Nice one, James..." one of them said but I wasn't paying attention to which one. They were high-fiving each other when one of them suddenly kicked me in the stomach. "That's for my friend..."

"Fuck..." I cried out, curling into the fetal position instantly to protect myself. "Please stop; just leave me alone..."

"Quil, let's make him beg for his mommy..."

The Indian boy cackled hideously and then replied, "Yes, let's."

I felt several more blows from behind me on my back and my legs and cried out again, "Please… Please stop... Please…" I begged shamelessly, knowing that's what they wanted and hoping it would make them stop kicking me and leave me alone sooner. "I won't do it again... please..." I knew I hadn't done anything and the tears were seconds away from pouring over when the short blond bent down and got in my face again.

"I knew you were fucking staring at me..." he accused me and then punched me directly in the nose. "You little fucking queer boy..." The tears fell as I felt something warm and wet oozing down my lip; my nose was bleeding.

"FUCKING CHRIST!" the one named Quil screamed and turned around quickly as he rubbed the back of his head. "The fuck you think you're doing, asshole?"

"Leave him alone," a confident male voice called out but I didn't dare look up to see who it was. I kept my head and knees tucked tightly to my chest as I shook in fear, waiting for the blows to start back up.

"Did you just throw a fucking rock at my head?" Quil growled at him, angrier than ever.

"Yeah, and I'll do more than just throw a rock at your head if you don't leave him alone," the other person challenged, not backing down.

"Oh yeah? What the fuck do you think you are you going to do to us?" James asked in a sickeningly sweet mocking tone.

"Well, it just so happens that my father is Officer Whitlock of the Forks PD and if you don't leave him alone and get the fuck out of here right now... you'll each be receiving a visit from him tonight and that's a promise..." His voice was edgy and threatening and I was more grateful to the boy who was saving me in that moment then I would ever be able to express.

"Fuck, Quil... I can't afford my third strike... I don't wanna go back to juvy," James whispered just loud enough that I could hear him. I opened my eyes and peeked up at them.

"I think we've had enough fun for now... but you better fucking watch your back, queer boy. Let's go guys..." They all murmured their agreement and just like that, they took off in the opposite direction and were soon out of sight.

Within seconds, the boy who'd just rescued me was kneeling down next to me. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, placing one hand reassuringly on my shoulder. I looked up at him slowly; my head was pounding and my face was throbbing and it just plain hurt to move. "Jesus, you're bleeding..." he muttered.

"I know..." I whispered the only words I could think of at that moment.

"Doesn't look like anything is broken," he told me, inspecting my back and front cautiously. "Can you get up or do you need help?"

I just shook my head, I was too sore to move so I was definitely going to need some help getting out of that position. He didn't say anything else, just extended his hand and very carefully helped me to my feet. "Come on; let's go get you cleaned up..." He started to walk away.

"I live that way..." I told him, pointing toward the north side of town.

He shrugged his shoulders like he didn't care. "That may be but I just live a block away so let's go to my house. My dad isn't home so you won't have to explain anything..."

I hadn't even thought of that, how was I supposed to explain what happened to my parents without looking like a total fucking wimp. I relented and began to follow him slowly... carefully.

Once we made it to his house, he led me into a bathroom on the second floor, where he wet a washcloth with warm water and handed it to me so I could clean the blood off my face. "What's your name?" he asked me.

"Edward Cullen."

"You're new, right? I haven't seen you around before..."

"I just moved here from Chicago yesterday, actually," I told the boy realizing I had no idea what his name was.

"I'm Jasper, by the way..." he offered with a comforting smile. "Do you mind taking off your shirt off? It's dirty and has blood all over it; I'll let you wear one of mine."

Very, very slowly I slipped the shirt over my head and he gasped. "Jesus Christ, how hard did they kick you? You're already bruising..."

"I'll be okay, I bruise easily... always have."

"They are just fucking bullies... but if they try to bother you again let me know and I'll have my father take care of them."

"Thank you... for everything..." I told him softly. He just couldn't understand how grateful I was.

"It's no problem; I would hope someone would do the same for me..." Jasper walked across the hall and came back quickly with a new t-shirt for me.

"Do you wanna play some PlayStation?" he asked me after I was all cleaned up.

"Sure..." I shrugged.

Normally I'd have been so fucking embarrassed about someone seeing me like that but Jasper never made me feel like I'd done anything wrong or like I was in any way less than him because of what had happened.

We talked about the things we liked and didn't like. I found out he was twelve just like me, that our birthdays were actually only a week apart and that we both loved baseball and football. He was a huge fan of all types of music and had posters of different bands hanging up all over his bedroom while I was mostly interested in movies and the behind the scenes productions of it all.

We spent the rest of the afternoon in his bedroom playing video games and talking. When it was time for me to leave I thanked him again and he told me not to worry about it. I smiled as I walked home and I knew that Jasper and I had just crossed the line into friendship.

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><p><strong>Put the story on alert if you want to be notified when I finish posting the rest. I still have a couple of segments to write but will hopefully be able to start posting soon! Let me know what you think!<strong>

**Happy Birthday Manda! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay so the time has come for me to finish posting! Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed and favorited/alerted this story! It's been so awesome! You are going to get one segment a day until the fic ends and there are eight of them. They aren't terribly long, between 1.5 and 3.5k usually. Huge thanks to MizzHyde for her pre-reading skills and helpful advice and to coachlady1 and tiffaninichole for the brainstorming and outline help and for just being awesome people!**

**Once again, the story is dedicated to my friend jacksonmccoy, without his support for the first two chapters I may never have continued this. **

**I hope you all enjoy and I'll see you again tomorrow!**

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><p><strong>Segment 2<strong>

A few months passed and we'd finally started our eighth grade year, which was a lot different than school in Chicago. I'd been successful at staying away from the boys who'd bullied me and avoiding another incident but I suspected my friendship with Jasper had a lot to do with that. He was around quite often and at first I wasn't sure why he wanted to be my friend, but I wasn't complaining.

Several times a week we'd go to his house while his parents were working and play video games or he'd come to my house and we'd do our homework together. He'd help me with History which was my worst subject and I'd help him with his Algebra. He never took anything without giving something back; it was a friendship that worked because we were equals.

It was nice to hang out with Jasper so much since I still hadn't made many other friends. We got along so well that it just made sense and honestly, I didn't feel a need for anyone else. I'd always been a bit shy, which was why it had surprised me that my friendship with him began so easily. Jasper was outgoing and loud, but never in an obnoxious way; the polar opposite of me in nearly every way.

Since our birthdays were fast approaching, Jasper had invited me to celebrate with him at his party, because I didn't know enough people to invite to one of my own. He made sure the invitations included my name and he had his mother bake me a cake of my own, which was very thoughtful.

Jasper paid attention to the things I liked and didn't like and he even bought me the best gift I received that year, it was a box set of the Star Wars DVDs, all digitally remastered. I'd gotten him the new CD from one of his favorite bands and even though I felt bad for it not being as good as what he got me, he assured me that he loved it and it was perfect.

He was forever dragging me out with him when he went places with his other friends, always trying to get me to be more social. He said my life would be less difficult if I had more fun. No matter how much I protested, he always won with his charismatic smile and persuasive ways.

My parents loved Jasper from the moment they first met him. It was hard not to like him with his polite disposition and genuine personality. I overheard them discussing it one day when I got home from school. My dad had said that maybe the move was a bad idea because I was starting to worry him with my anti-social behavior and he was hoping that Jasper could bring me out of my shell. My mother agreed with him commenting that Jasper was a lovely boy from a nice family and that he would be a great influence on me.

One day, nearing the end of the year I got called out of the English class that I shared with Jasper. As I hurriedly shoved my stuff in my bag, Jasper looked at me, raising his eyebrow and silently asking me what was going on. I shrugged my shoulders indicating that I had no idea and left the room.

My parents were in the office when I got there. My mother's eyes were red-rimmed and puffy like she'd been crying and as soon as she saw me, she pulled me to her, hugging me too tightly for my own liking in the middle of my school.

I pulled away quickly and looked at my father. "What's going on? Why are you guys here?"

My father looked at the secretary and simply stated, "We're going to take him home now; I don't want to tell him here."

She smiled warmly back at my father, an expression of sympathy on her face. "Alright, Mr. Cullen, please let us know if there is anything we can do and when Edward will be returning to school."

"Thank you, Mrs. Cope," my father replied and promptly turned on his heels, walking out of the office with an air of confidence as if he owned the place.

By that time, I was nervous and anxious to find out what was going on. The last time they were this secretive about something was when they told me we were moving. "Tell me what?" I demanded as I followed my parents down the hallway. "We're not moving again are we? I actually like it here... I don't want to leave." The thought of leaving and not having Jasper around all the time made me mad.

"Edward, we'll discuss it when we get home..." My father used his serious voice and I knew not to push him any longer.

The ride home was tense and silent, except for my mother's occasional sniffles. My mind was filling with the worst possible scenarios and I had a million unasked questions but I knew my father had meant business.

As soon as we got home, I darted in the house and sat on the couch, hoping they would tell me right away.

My father walked into the living room and sat down on one side of me while my mother sat on the other. "Edward, something very bad happened this morning. I don't know how to tell you this..."

My heart began pounding and my throat dried up quickly. "Just tell me, please?"

"Son, Grandma Platt had a heart attack and passed away." My mother burst out in another bout of tears as the words sank in and my heart dropped into my stomach.

Grandma Platt was my favorite relative in the entire world and before I could really help it, I was hugging my mother and crying along with her. It had always been hard for me to show emotion unless the situation was extremely stressful or traumatic, but that was one time I had no problem.

"This just isn't fair..." I told my mom quietly. "Why Grandma?"

I could just feel my mom's head shake and no words came out. My father explained to me that we'd be leaving later that night to head back to Chicago for the funeral so I needed to go pack.

I trudged up the stairs, grabbed a bag and began shoving clothes in it. I had been in my room for several hours when I was startled by a sharp knock on the door. It opened before I had time to get up revealing Jasper in the doorway.

"Hey... I wanted to come over and check on you since you left school so quickly." I turned around, allowing him to see my tear stained face and the packed bag on the bed. "What happened?" he asked with a slight panic in his voice and he rushed quickly to my side.

I sighed hesitantly and pushed back the tears, although I knew my eyes were already red and puffy. "My Grandma died this morning; we have to go back to Chicago for the funeral."

Jasper pulled me into a hug which surprised me because even though we'd been friends, we'd never gotten emotional about it. I was pleasantly surprised at how much his hug calmed me down and cheered me up.

Even at thirteen I realized that it probably wasn't normal to feel so completely safe and content in the arms of a male friend but in that moment I didn't care. All I knew was that it felt good and I needed good.

"I'm really sorry about your grandma, Edward. Mine died when I was really young so I didn't really know her. Are you gonna be okay?" The care and concern he was showing me was nice in a weird sort of way. And it was only weird because I wasn't used to it.

We talked for a little while longer and then Jasper left when my dad said it was time to leave for the airport.

We were gone for nearly a week and Jasper called my cell phone every night to tell me what I missed in school and to see how I was handling things. It was hard for me to face going to the funeral but everything seemed oddly okay because I knew that Jasper was there for me. My family had been great and so supportive but they had to be, they were family. Jasper did it even though he didn't have to and to me, that meant just a little more.

The night that we returned to Forks, Jasper showed up at my house with all of my missed homework that he'd collected for me without being asked. My mother thanked him for his thoughtfulness and offered us some cookies while we worked. He stayed to make sure I understood everything and did his best to make me laugh and forget about the previous week.

For the next several weeks he was at the house every night during the week and dragging me out to various places or parties on the weekends. I can't deny that it helped me out of the gloomy mood I'd been in since we returned from Chicago.

One night while we were sitting in my room watching a movie I decided I had to know what I'd done to deserve such a good friend, so I turned to him and asked, "Jasper, why have you been here so much lately? I mean I'm glad you are, but just why?"

He just shrugged and replied, "You're my best friend," like it was the simplest reason in the world.

"Oh." That answer was not what I had been expecting mainly because I'd never had a best friend before but it seemed to fit. "You're my best friend, too"

I smiled to myself as I turned back to the movie; it seemed as though Jasper and I had crossed a new line. Best friends... I liked the sound of that.

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><p><strong>Let me know what you think! :)<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the favorites and story alerts! It means so much that you are all liking the story so much! I hope you continue to enjoy! Thanks as always to coachlady1 and tiffaninichole for their love and support. **

**Huge thanks to MizzHyde for all her help with pre-reading and such! This chapter she gets more credit than usual because I was having a hard time writing a portion of this chapter and she stepped in and wrote it for me :) I'll indicate in the body with ** where she began and ended :) She's awesome and I flove her hard for all her help!**

**Still dedicated to Jack *heart***

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><p><strong>Segment 3 <strong>

Our first couple years in high school flew by without any major incidents. The way our friendship worked was flawless; Jasper brought me further out of my shell and I reined him in when it felt like he was getting a bit too crazy. We ruled the school by the time we were in our junior year and it wasn't a secret that all the girls were after us but Jasper swore we were 'too young to be tied down to one girl' so we just hung out and stayed single which was totally okay with me. Girls were too much of a mindfuck for me to deal with.

One day in the middle of September during our junior year, we were hanging out around the pool at Emmett's house with Bella, Alice, and Rose. Alice had been hanging all over Jasper and it irritated me as usual. It was an irrational emotion and I had no idea why but it always rubbed me the wrong way.

I'd overheard her telling Bella how much she wanted Jasper to pay more attention to her and spend less time with 'him'. I knew she meant me since we were always together and it brought a smile to my face that she might be a little jealous of me too, although it made no rational sense. I assumed Jasper had heard also because a loud jovial laugh had escaped his lips as he was climbing out of the pool.

He threw his head back and the sun shining on him caused me to look at him in a new light. I'd never realized just how sculpted his muscles really were, but my eyes were drawn to his abs and his chest. The droplets of water that were gliding down his skin had me mesmerized and I had to force myself to look away when I realized I was staring at my best friend and my cock seemed to like it. I knew enough about what was socially acceptable to know that that definitely wasn't.

If Jasper noticed me staring, he didn't acknowledge it. He just sat down next to me and threw his arm over my shoulder before telling me, "I think Bella wants you to ask her to Homecoming." His tone was pleasant enough but there was something else there that made it seem a bit forced.

"You think so?" I asked him, looking over at Bella. She was a really pretty girl and super nice; I did enjoy spending time with her.

"Yeah and Alice wants to go with me." He sighed. "I mean, I guess it makes sense, right?" The tone in his voice implied that he was looking for reassurance.

"Yeah, I suppose it does," I agreed while that nagging feeling reappeared in my stomach.

Jasper's face scrunched up as if he were thinking hard. "So… I guess we ask them and go to the stupid dance…" The final decision seemed to have been made so that's what we did.

I guess the girls assumed that meant we were dating and neither one of us really corrected them so we all spent the majority of the rest of the year hanging out together. Homecoming and Holiday passed without a hitch so when prom snuck up on us, the girls went shopping and informed us that they'd bought their dresses and instructed us on what colors to get for our tuxes.

We rented rooms at the hotel that our dance was being held at since it was in Port Angeles and our parents didn't want us to drive home so late with all the drunk drivers that would be out. We assured them that the boys would spend the night in one room and the girls in the other but I'm sure they really didn't expect that to happen. It _was _prom night after all but Jasper and I were lucky enough to have parents that were pretty cool about things.

The girls were ecstatic when they found out about the rooms and it's all we heard about the entire week before the dance.

When the big night finally arrived, Jasper and I played the parts of Prince Charming to our Cinderellas perfectly and we swept them off of their feet with a limo, a nice dinner and a romantic night full of dancing. It was the perfect prom experience for them and even though Jasper and I would have rather stayed home and played video games all night, we actually had a little bit of fun too. We were being total goofballs on the dance floor during the fast songs and we ended up putting on a silly over-exaggerated rendition of the slutty way most of the girls were dancing with each other.

Jasper's ass wiggled against my dick as he threw his hands in the air and thrust backward into me. I bent forward and matched his moves, bringing my hands up to his shoulders and trailing them down his sides. It was the second time that I'd started to get hard because of my best friend and I was a bit startled by it, but we were having too much fun for me to give it much thought. Once again, if he noticed, he never said a word about it.

After the dance was over we headed up to our rooms to celebrate. We'd snuck the alcohol in beforehand and as soon as we walked in the door, Jasper popped open a couple cans of beer and we chugged them down while the girls sipped slowly on their wine coolers. We put on some music and just chilled.

Between the beer and the vodka, it didn't take long before the two of us were three sheets to the wind and suddenly there was a knock at our door. I stumbled over to the door and opened it to find Tyler and Jake standing there. "Hey, dudes…" Tyler drew out his words slowly. "Y'all want some weed?"

He held his hand out and pinched between his fingers was a joint. I'd never smoked pot before and neither had Jasper for all I knew. I glanced at Jas as he made his way over to me, shrugged his shoulders and lifted the joint to his lips. He inhaled smoothly, keeping the smoke in his lungs just a hair longer than he should have and coughed like crazy when he exhaled. Tyler and Jake laughed their asses off at him and then Jasper handed it to me and nudged me with his shoulder.

'What the hell?' I thought to myself as I imitated Jasper and took a hit. It felt weird, to be honest, but nice at the same time. The guys came in and parked their asses on the bed as we continued to pass the joint around.

I vaguely remember offering it to the girls but they were pissed that we weren't spending any time with them and left. I'm sure they just went to their own room, the one that was supposed to be for Bella and myself, but honestly I just wanted to hang out with my best friend. Was that really so wrong?

Tyler and Jake eventually got bored and left, leaving Jasper and I kicked back on the bed, talking to each other. My arms and legs felt heavy and kind of tingly but mostly I just felt free.

"I never really wanted to go to this stupid dance," Jasper admitted. "But I was definitely looking forward to getting my dick sucked tonight."

My traitor cock began to harden again at his words and I convinced myself that it must have been the thought of sticking it in Bella's hot, wet mouth. She was amazing at giving blow jobs.

"Yeah, that would have been nice," I agreed.

We were both still in our tux pants and white dress shirts and it was getting a little bit uncomfortable, if you know what I mean.

I forced myself up off the bed and dropped my pants in the middle of the room. I definitely had a bulge beginning in my boxers but I couldn't bring myself to care. I glanced over at Jasper, who was still lying on the bed, and his eyes were transfixed on me so feeling as carefree as I did, I decided to give him a show.

I turned to face him and my eyes never wavered from his as I slowly unbuttoned each one of the pearls on the shirt and let it slide off my shoulders and onto the floor. I thought I heard Jasper moan but I could have imagined it as I slipped into my pajama pants and flopped back down on the bed.

My left leg landed on top of Jasper's and his whole body stiffened before he climbed off the bed and hurriedly changed also. I did get a nice glimpse of his ass and my cock hardened even more. It occurred to me that it should be weird to have a hard-on over my best friend's ass; that was probably the alcohol's fault.

All I knew was that I was horny and needed to get my rocks off or it was going to be a long, painful night, so I suggested the first thing I could think of, "Wanna rent some porn?"

We'd watched porn together before but had never ever touched ourselves during the process, that's what made it okay. We saved that for when we were alone.

"Fuck, yeah…" he agreed quickly. "That's the best idea you've ever had…" His words were slurred and slow but I didn't care. I handed him the remote and told him to pick something.

I reached over to turn out the light and grabbed some lube from the bag on the floor next to me. Jasper eyed it but never said anything.

The porn started and there were two good looking boys working out on the screen. They kept looking at each other smiling and obviously eye-fucking each other. I kept waiting for the girls to show up, but they never did.

They finished their weight lifting and moved to the locker area. Soon they were stripped down and rubbing up against each other.

"Dude," I whispered, completely unable to take my eyes off the screen. "You rented gay porn!" I started laughing hysterically and couldn't stop. It must have been the weed or something but I rolled over and playfully punched Jasper in the arm.

He in turn put me in a headlock and we continued to wrestle around on the bed trying to pin the other one down.

The guy on his knees must have been really good at giving head because the sounds coming from his partner's mouth were turning me on, at least that's what I kept telling myself since I was sporting wood for the third time that night after been touched by Jasper.

Jasper finally pinned me to the bed after I gave up trying; we were both breathing hard and laughing like lunatics when Jasper started staring at me again. "What?" I asked him, suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious.

"I think you've got a problem…" he replied with a smirk on his face. He ground himself into me and I finally felt all of him. I'd have been lying if I said I didn't like it.

"I think you do, too." I smiled but couldn't draw my eyes away from his face. Just like that day by Emmett's pool, I couldn't help but think about how gorgeous he was.

"Edward," he whispered to me. I cocked my eyebrow at him silently asking what he wanted. He brought his mouth down to my ear and I may have shivered a bit when his breath hit my skin. "I really do want my dick sucked…"

I sighed and began to roll out from underneath of him, completely disappointed. "I'll go get Alice…"

His hand on my arm stopped me and he shook his head. "Not her… I want you to do it… like they are." He nodded toward the television.

I'm sure the shock of his words was showing all over my face but my stomach felt all flip-floppy and giddy. He didn't want her; he wanted me. I know I should have been hesitant and confused but I was just fucking happy.

He must have taken my non-reply as a bad thing. "Never mind," he muttered.

"Wait…" I nearly screamed and startled him. "Okay, I'll do it."

The grin that over took his face was completely worth what I was about to do. I was about to suck my best friend's dick and I was totally okay with it? Yeah, I was definitely high. And drunk… definitely drunk. Jasper lay back on the bed and I crawled slowly up to him. I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew I wanted to do it.

******My face was level with the very pronounced tent in his pants and I hesitated, not quite sure how to begin without it all getting even more awkward than it already felt. Jasper seemed to be quite beyond any embarrassment; he raised his hips and yanked his pants down, shuffling them off his legs with his feet and lying back down, looking at me expectantly.

Finally I was face to face with his very hard, very thick dick, already beading with a drop of pre-cum at the slit. I'd seen it before, once or twice, in the shower at school or when we were getting changed at home, always looking away quickly, as boys do, but it seemed a hell of a lot bigger up close. Well, it was bigger I guess, it was big, and hard, and… how the fuck was I supposed to get that in my mouth?

I swallowed nervously and leaned slightly forward. Jasper was getting impatient and lifted his hips again, making the glossy tip of his cock tap my lips. I flinched automatically and he snorted.

"Come on, Edward," he said, his voice hoarse. "Are you going to suck me or what?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, opening my mouth and tentatively sticking out my tongue. I made contact with his cock about half way up and licked slowly towards the top.

Jasper let out a strangled moan which encouraged me enormously. I reached the ridge of his head and swept my tongue around it. Once I was actually doing it, it wasn't so strange. I could still hear the sounds of the porn boys on the television, but at that point Jasper was making the same noises and they were all mingling together.

I shuffled on to my knees so I could get a better angle, and used my hand to lift Jasper's heavy dick away from his body. I knew what I liked when I got my own dick sucked, so I figured I'd just do that. I tipped my head and took the whole head of his cock in my mouth, flicking at the slit with my tongue. He tasted salty and musky, but not unpleasant at all. I didn't know why the girls made so much fuss about it; frankly the taste just turned me on even more. I so badly wanted to touch myself but I didn't stand a chance of coordinating both at the same time.

Jasper was muttering garbled instructions to get on with it faster, so I moved my hand and mouth together, trying to suck and lick at the same time with limited success. It was harder than it looked. Jasper groaned even louder and then started moving his hips, trying to thrust up into my mouth.

I pulled off him straight away and he yelled at me, his eyes bugging out.

"Keep fucking still," I hissed at him. I had no idea how people managed to get solid objects down their throats but I was not going to experiment with that at the time.

To make myself quite clear, I shoved him down with one hand firmly on his hip before taking him back in my mouth. He behaved that time, and I found a rhythm, taking him in as far as could and using my hand wrapped tightly around him for the rest. I was amazed at how much it turned me on. The pleasure in receiving was obvious but I felt like I was ready to explode from doing the giving. And again – why did girls not love this?

Still, I was pretty glad he warned me when he was about to come because I wasn't sure I was ready to have that in my mouth. Maybe girls do have a point about that. I sucked him as long as I dared until I felt his cock twitch in my hand and then pulled off pretty fucking quickly, kneeling up to watch him blow his load all over his stomach. My other hand was in my own pants freeing myself the second I sat up, and the sight of him losing it, his face screwed up and his fists clenched tightly by his side, was enough to set me off. It only took a couple of swift pulls before I was coming all over him too, covering him in a mess of white ropes, so you couldn't tell what was mine and what was his.

I sat back on my heels and let him go, gasping and laughing slightly hysterically. I hoped like hell those rooms were soundproofed as I had no idea what either of us was screaming right at the end. The room seemed unnaturally quiet, the porn having run out and the television humming to itself in the background.

Jasper didn't open his eyes, lying there with his chest heaving. I climbed off the bed, pulling my pants back up and went to look in the bathroom for a towel or something to wipe up with. I washed my hands and then went back to him, dropping the wet towel on his stomach; I drew the line at cleaning him up. Then I shoved him over and climbed under the covers. I was asleep the second my head hit the pillow.******

When I woke up the next morning, I was curled up behind a very obviously naked Jasper with one arm thrown over his waist holding him tight to me. I felt like shit; no wait, I felt like dying. My head was pounding and my mouth was dry. 'Why the fuck are we spooning?' I thought to myself before images of Jasper's cock in my mouth began to bombard my brain. Oh yeah, that happened.

Shouldn't I have been more weirded out?

Jasper began to stir and he rolled toward me. "Hey…" he half-whispered.

"Morning," I whispered back.

"I didn't imagine that, did I?" he asked me.

"Nope," I answered him slowly. My throat was scratchy and sore, probably from having his dick in there.

"I didn't think so." And that was the end of the conversation.

We both got up and showered quickly so we could meet the girls and check out on time. You'd have thought it would be awkward or tense but things seemed normal as could be.

I didn't know what was happening between Jasper and I, but I did know we'd just crossed another line— this time into something more.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think and I'll see y'all again tomorrow!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Welcome back! Thank you all so much for the support and love you are showing my little fic! Much love to coachlady1, tiffaninichole, and MizzHyde, if you haven't checked out their stories, please do so because they all rock! **

**Dedication remains the same, I love and miss you friend. **

**Didn't MizzHyde kill it with the slightly awkward yet hot as hell blowjob in the last chapter? Yeah... I think so too! Let's see where the boys end up today!**

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><p><strong>Segment 4 <strong>

In the weeks following prom, things on the outside appeared normal as could be between Jasper and I. Of course, there were little things I noticed like how I would catch Jasper's looks lingering a little longer than normal or maybe how I sat just little closer to him when we were playing our video games than I used to. I found that we spent less and less time hanging out with Bella and Alice and more time holed up in our rooms together… alone.

Things inside of me changed quite a bit in the course of just a few weeks. Jasper was the only person I really wanted to be around and everything he did ignited some sort of emotion in me and I felt more alive than I had in a long time. My body began reacting to him more and more and I'd started having to think about old people naked and dead puppies a lot to get rid of the boners.

It took six weeks before either one of us verbally acknowledged what had happened in that hotel room. We were hanging out at my house since my parents had gone away for the weekend. They almost didn't go because they were worried about leaving me all by myself but then Jasper came to the rescue by offering to spend the weekend with me so I wouldn't be alone. That pleased them so they went.

We were trying to decide what to do next after we finished gorging ourselves on pizza and soda for dinner. Video games were out of the question since we'd been playing them all day long. Jasper suggested we watch a movie and that sounded pretty okay to me.

We trudged up to my bedroom and I flopped down on the horizontally on the bed. Jasper grabbed a DVD and popped it in the player then jumped onto the bed also. He leaned back against the headboard and plopped his feet down in my lap.

He turned off the light and we watched the movie, and by that I mean Jasper watched the movie while I sat there, totally distracted. The entire time I was hyper-aware of the fact that Jasper was touching me. It was just his feet but still, he was being so casual about it. I mean, guys didn't normally do that, right?

Finally it was just too much between my constant over analyzation the situation and wondering if Jasper regretted what we had done so many weeks prior that the words spewed out of my mouth like vomit. "Jasper, why did you ask me to do it?"

It was obvious that he knew exactly what I was talking about because he didn't seem shocked by my question at all. "I don't know, Edward. We were so fucked up and I was so horny and you were there, looking all gorgeous in your tux and I just wanted to know what it felt like."

"Did you… you know… like it?" I asked him in a near whisper, nervously waiting for his answer because if I were being honest with myself, I really enjoyed doing it.

"Oh, God, Edward… it was amazing." His eyes sort of glazed over and he shifted a bit where he was sitting. "Did you?" he shot back at me, instantly on guard.

"Yeah… I really did," I admitted quietly. "I'm not sure what this means but I kind of wanna do it again."

My eyes immediately darted away from him and locked on a random point on the wall but he put his hand on my shoulder reassuringly and squeezed lightly. "Okay."

The rest of the summer flew by as Jasper and I experimented with each other a little more. We started off slowly by jacking off next to each other while watching the other and quickly moved on to jerking each other off because let's face it, it felt better to have Jasper's hand on me than my own. Soon it escalated back to blow jobs, which remained our favorite way to get each other off. A couple of times we sixty-nined each other and once I let Jasper stick his finger in my ass. I don't know why I let him do it but it was the one thing I remembered seeing in that porn from prom night that I really wanted to try because the boy with the star tattoo on his ass seemed to really enjoy it. I now know why he did, it was pain and bliss all wrapped up together and it felt fucking amazing.

It wasn't only the sexual stuff that had progressed with us. We'd spent a lot more time talking about things that we hadn't ever talked about before, personal and private things no one else knew. We couldn't ignore what was happening to us so we stopped going out with Bella and Alice completely but there were some things still left unsaid.

There was such a strong connection and undeniable chemistry between Jasper and I that it was almost overwhelming in its power. My feelings for him became stronger and stronger as time went on and I really wasn't sure what to do about it. He seemed to be taking everything in stride and I thought it must be just experimentation for him because he never made a move to make it anything more.

Our senior year had already started and we were extremely careful not to bring any of _that_ stuff to school with us. It was hard though because we were almost like a set of magnets and the pull to be connected in one way or another was strong. I had to stop myself from touching him in any way while we were in public a lot and he was careful not to let his suggestive glances give too much away.

The first Saturday night of Winter break we were staying over at Jasper's because we had decided not to go to the Holiday Formal. Our parents had tried to talk us into it, insisting that we would regret missing out on our senior year activities but we promised them that we just weren't into dances anymore and they seemed to be okay with it. In reality, we just wanted to celebrate in our own way.

I think Jasper knew that things were changing because once I threw my bag down on the floor he stalked over to me and pinned up against the door to his room. "Edward…" he whispered in my ear before lightly pressing his lips to my neck. "We have to talk."

My skin erupted in goose bumps from where his lips had been. That's the one thing that was off limits to us before— kissing. It was too intimate and neither one of us had been ready to take it that far; we weren't ready to admit it to each other.

"I know…" I replied breathless as he released me from the hold his body had on me.

We ended up cross legged on the bed facing each other. "Edward…" Jasper began just as I'd started to say, "Jasper…"

"You go first," he told me, looking straight into my eyes.

I pushed my nerves down before they got the best of me and decided it would be easiest to just spit it out. "I think I'm in love with you."

The look on Jasper's face was priceless and absolutely worth every single minute we'd ever spent together. It was a mix of shock, adoration, happiness, and if I was right, love.

"Oh, Edward… you have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say those words. I've been in love with you for so long I can't even explain it. The day I found those guys bullying you in the park was the luckiest day of my life because it brought me to you." And the look on my face had to have been mirroring his from seconds before.

"Why didn't you ever say anything before?" I asked him, thoroughly confused. He should have told me… I deserved to know!

"I didn't want to influence your decision, Edward. If you were going to love me back, it had to be you who made that choice." Jasper was staring at me so intently, leaning in and I couldn't hold back any more.

I pressed my lips to his and it was as if my soul was finally complete. There was so much emotion flowing though my veins I felt like I might explode. I grabbed his body and just hugged him, holding him as tight to me as possible.

He held me back and we stayed like that for several moments. Jasper just kept whispering how he couldn't believe this was finally happening and that he loved me.

"So… what happens next?" I asked him slowly once I finally released him from my grip.

Jasper's eyes were fixed on me with the most piercing look I'd ever seen from him. It was almost as if he were trying to see straight into my soul. I felt strangely exposed and oddly calm about it. "Edward, I love you so much. You mean the world to me and it would make me the happiest boy in the world if you would be my boyfriend."

His boyfriend? He wanted me to be his boyfriend! I freaked out a little on the inside before swiftly tackling him to the bed and pinning him down. "I would love to be your boyfriend, Jasper." I leaned down and kissed his lips softly. "I love you, too." It was strange to say the words so freely when I was so used to holding them back so I said it again, "I love you."

"Do you want to watch another movie?" he asked me and I agreed. Anything that would keep me close to him was just fine with me.

He quickly popped another movie in and took his place next to me. We were both sitting against the headboard and Jasper wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer to him. I can't even begin to tell you what the movie was about because I was too pre-occupied with the gorgeous boy sitting next to me.

Before the movie was half over, we were lying down and making out with each other. It was the one thing that had been previously missing and being able to feel his skin under my lips and his lips on me was absolutely perfect. We took our time exploring each other's bodies, licking, sucking, and tasting everywhere.

We weren't just touching each other to get our rocks off anymore. It was new and exciting and I wanted more. "Jasper," I murmured almost too quietly. "I want you…"

"I want you too, Edward," he replied as he placed slow, sensual kisses up my neck and down my chin.

I stopped him before he got to my lips again and held his chin in my hand, piercing his eyes with mine. "No, Jasper, I mean I _want _you…"

It took him a second but when he finally realized what I meant, his eyes lit up. "Are you sure? I don't want you to rush into this…" he asked, clearly concerned and excited.

"I'm sure…" I kissed him deeply to assure him and he moaned into my mouth.

He leaned over me and reached into his night stand. I gave him an amused look as he sat back up with a condom and a small bottle of lube. "What? I've been dreaming of this for so long; I wanted to be prepared."

I just grinned at him, my heart warming knowing that he'd been wanting me just as much as I wanted him. "How do you want to do this, babe?" he asked me.

I didn't even have to think about it. "I want you to make love to me, Jasper..." I whispered in a shaky voice. "Will you make love to me?"

"Of course, babe," he agreed as he hovered over me. He began to leave a slow, teasing trail of kisses down my chest until he reached exactly where I wanted him.

Without hesitation, he had me in his mouth lavishing my cock with attention from his tongue while using his slick fingers to stretch me.

"Oh, fuck, Jas; that feels amazing," I grunted as he continued.

It was clear that he had done his research as it felt different from the other time but I wasn't focusing on that as much as the amazing blow job Jasper was giving me.

"Jas, you gotta stop..." I groaned as I held his face in my hands, stopping him from continuing. I was so close and I didn't want it to end before it began.

Jasper set to work rolling on the condom and lubing himself up, before placing himself at my entrance and asking me one more time if I was completely sure.

I kissed him hard because I was too nervous to speak and he took that as a yes because he slowly pushed his way in. It was painful and it burned like a motherfucker but Jasper tried to keep my mind off of it with his kisses and sweet words of love.

It worked because soon he was fully sheathed inside of me and I'd never felt more connected with him than I did in that moment. I had thought that our first kiss made my soul feel whole but I was so completely and utterly wrong; it was in that moment that I knew what true love felt like.

Jasper began to move slowly and the pain subsided, quickly becoming a sensation so pleasurable I had no idea how I was going to last.

Our grunts and groans filled the air and slick bodies colliding became the background music to our love-making. It only took a few moments before Jasper was stroking me, begging me to come. The feel of his hand and the ecstasy written all over his face combined with the power of his thrusts had me coming all over my chest mere seconds before Jasper exploded inside of me.

He collapsed on top of me, breathing heavily and I wrapped my arms around him tightly. "That was… WOW."

"I know."

There was a smile plastered across his face as he headed toward the shower. As soon as we both were clean and dry, we climbed into his bed and right before he fell asleep Jasper whispered, "Thank you, Edward."

"For what?" I asked a bit confused.

"For everything… for being you… for loving me." His breathing evened out and I knew he was asleep.

And just like all the other defining moments in our friendship, I knew we had just crossed another line— we were in love.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading and don't forget to let me know what you think :) Same time, same place tomorrow :)<strong>

**xoxo**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I just want to say thank you for all the support and love you are showing my little fic. It truly means the world to me! The usual thanks apply to coach, tiff, and mizzhyde and the dedication remains the same. I know you're watching and it make me smile, I miss you!**

**xoxo**

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><p><strong>Segment 5 <strong>

Less than a week after our first time together, I asked my parents to invite Jasper and his parents over for dinner. We wanted to tell everyone about our relationship as soon as possible and decided it would be better to tell them together and get it over with, rather than having to have the same conversation twice.

I'd arranged for Jasper and I to be sitting right next to each other, while our mothers sat across from us and our fathers sat at the ends of the table. "Mom, Dad, Mr. and Mrs. Whitlock," I began hesitantly after dinner was over. "Jasper and I have something we'd like to tell you."

Jasper grabbed my hand under the table and squeezed as everyone looked at us expectantly. "We're gay…" I nearly mumbled and I heard a sharp gasp but wasn't sure who it came from.

"And we love each other very much…" Jasper added quickly. "We didn't mean to fall in love with each other, but we did and we're really happy. We just didn't want to lie to you guys about it."

My mother started laughing and my dad just chuckled to himself in amusement. "What?" I asked defensively, not enjoying the feeling of being laughed at by my parents.

"Edward, you're father and I have had our suspicions for a while now. I'm sorry but you boys just didn't really hide it too well," my mother explained, stifling another giggle.

"You knew and you didn't say anything to me?" I asked, incredulously.

My father put his hand on my shoulder reassuringly. "Edward, it wasn't our place to push you. We knew you'd eventually figure it out and then you would tell us when you were ready."

"So, you aren't mad?" I asked them realizing that Jasper and his parents were being a bit too quiet.

"Why would we be mad, Edward? We love you no matter what and as long as you are healthy and happy, that's really all that matter to us," my mother declared as if it was the most natural thing in the world to hear.

I looked over at Jasper who was staring down at the table. "Mr. and Mrs. Whitlock," I addressed them since Jasper hadn't. "Are you guys okay with this? With me loving your son?"

"I'm not going to lie to you, Edward," Mr. Whitlock answered after another moment of deafening silence. "This is going to take some getting used to; it's not the type of life I wanted for my son."

My blood was beginning to boil as I heard those words come out of his mouth and Jasper's shoulders sagged just a bit more. He was so worried about disappointing his father and it seemed like that's all he was doing. I was about to say something to defend us when Mr. Whitlock continued. "Don't get me wrong, we love Jasper more than anything and will support him no matter who he loves but his life, your life together, is going to be so much harder and it's not something we want you to have to go through."

Jasper looked up at his father for the first time with relief etched all over his face. "Really?"

His mother answered for him, "Of course, honey, we love you no matter what. You do realize this means no more sleepovers, right? The same rules apply for your boyfriend as they would for a girlfriend. That means doors open at all times and clothes remain on, period."

"Moooooom," Jasper nearly whined. "Do we have to talk about that right now?" His face turned three different shades of red and I couldn't help but think how gorgeous the blush looked on him.

Of course we broke the rules a lot during our final year of high school. There was a lot of nakedness and sleepovers that our parents either didn't realize were going on or they had decided to turn a blind eye to our indiscretions.

Jasper and I told Alice and Bella about our relationship but never had a real coming out at school. If anyone knew, they kept it to themselves and we didn't really do public displays of affection. I mean, I wouldn't have denied it if anyone had asked me, but everyone was used to Jasper and I being pretty much inseparable anyway so there was nothing new about us being together all the time. Besides, Jasper would have kicked the shit out of anyone who had tried to mess with us; he was still one badass motherfucker.

We both applied to and were accepted by the University of Washington where we choose to room together even though our parents weren't super happy about it. What it boiled down to was that they really had no say since we were out of their houses and able to make our own decisions.

Things went relatively well for us and we were happier than we'd ever been. We survived our first two years of college and even though there were a lot of compromises made, we learned how to live with each other. Eventually it was just second nature for both of us to know when the other needed to be pushed or left alone to let off some steam. It was nice to know that's what it would be like when we graduated and moved into an apartment of our own.

One night during Winter Break of our junior year, I walked into our dorm to find Jasper rushing around, haphazardly throwing things into a suitcase and a duffel bag he had laying open on his bed next to his guitar case. My heart sank when I saw this as I had no idea what was happening.

"Jasper?" My voice shook with terror as I watched him dump all of his clean boxers into the suitcase. "What are you doing? What's going on?"

"Edward!" he cried out happily and I was relieved for a moment as he threw his arms around my neck and hugged me tight. "Do you remember that scholarship I applied for to the University of Liverpool School of Music?"

"Yeah, the one you were denied for?" And boy was I fucking glad he was denied because I already knew I couldn't live without him, especially if he was halfway around the world.

"Yes, that one! Mr. Denali called me while you were in class and told me that one of the students dropped out and I've been asked to fill her slot. Isn't that great?" he asked cheerfully as he continued to pack up all of his things.

I was shocked as I watched him until it sank in that he was packing because he was going. "You're not really going, are you?" I knew how unfair it was of me to ask him to stay but I couldn't let him leave.

"Are you crazy?" he asked me, his voice full of disbelief. "Of course I'm going, Edward; you know as well as I do that this is the biggest opportunity of my life. Hardly anyone from the United States gets awarded this scholarship and the chance to study under Marcus Volturi. Do you know what this could do for my career?" He stopped in front of me, his eyes imploring me to understand. And I did understand, I just didn't want him to go and my heart was already breaking at the thought of him being gone.

"You can't leave me, Jasper," I argued. "I need you too much; baby, please don't go," I begged.

"Edward, I have to go… I can't pass this up. It's too huge for me."

"I know it is and you're so talented, Jas, but for the love of God, please tell me you aren't actually considering getting on that plane and leaving me here alone for an entire year."

"Why are you doing this to me, Edward? You are my boyfriend; you're supposed to be happy for me to have been given this incredible opportunity! It's only a year, just three hundred and sixty five days. It'll pass so fast and I'll be back in no time. With this under my belt I'll be better able to provide for us." I hated doing this to him, I was so proud of him for getting the scholarship, I just didn't want him to take it. I deserved the selfish bastard of the millennium award.

"How the hell am I supposed to be happy that you're leaving me? Is it really that easy for you to throw away everything we have together?" I was yelling at that point but I didn't care anymore. The tears were streaming down my face and my heart was threatening to pound out of my chest.

"I'm not throwing anything away, E; we can still talk on the phone. We have texting, Skype and Gchat and I'll come home for a visit and you can come visit me, it won't be so bad, I promise. Of course I'll miss you so much, I already do, but I have to go…" His voice was wavering and I could tell he was getting as angry as I was.

"That's not good enough, Jasper… I need you… can't you see? I can't survive without you… You've always been here for me; how am I supposed to face a life without you?"

"You are being so fucking selfish, Edward," he yelled, finally losing his temper which only pissed me off because I knew he was right. "I'd be happy for you if it were the other way around."

"I'm being selfish?" I screamed back at him. "You're the one taking off without a second thought to me or our relationship. If it were the other way around there's no way in hell I could leave you!"

"I can't deal with this right now, Edward, I've got to finish packing; the plane leaves early tomorrow and I have to make sure I have everything I need."

"Tomorrow? You're leaving tomorrow?" No… it couldn't be. I couldn't lose him so soon. "Are you kidding me?"

"Their semester starts on Monday and I have to get registered and settled," he explained as he threw a few books into his duffel bag and began to gather up his toiletries.

"Don't do this…" I pleaded. All of the anger had drained from my body and left behind a new sort of desperation. "Jasper, I need you."

"Edward…" he started to say dejectedly and I knew I only had one more chance at getting him to stay. It was the lowest of all the low things I could have done but I was sure it would work. He'd stay and be mad at me for a while, but things would go back to normal soon.

"If you leave then we're over…" I blurted out before I lost my nerve. It was the hardest thing I'd ever had to say and the look on his face was enough to obliterate my already broken heart. What I did was a total dick move, but it had to be done. Jasper meant far too fucking much to me; I couldn't lose him.

I curled up into a ball on my bed and cried. Jasper didn't say anything to me, I knew he was angry and disappointed in me, but there was no way he could hate me as much as I hated myself. After a few minutes, I felt my bed dip and he curled up around me. I felt safe again, enveloped in his warm embrace and I drifted off to sleep. Everything was going to be okay.

When I woke up the next morning, Jasper wasn't in bed with me and I instantly felt a surge of coldness deep within my bones. "Jas?" I called out but he didn't answer.

I rolled over to look at his bed but it was neatly made. As my eyes adjusted, I noticed all of his stuff was gone and there was an envelope with my name on it lying up against his pillow. I rolled off my bed and ripped it open and my jaw dropped as I read his words.

_Edward, my love, _

_I hate having to do this but you and I both know that I need to go. It's so selfish of you to ask me to stay to prove my love for you because we both know how much I love, respect, and adore you, but last night really put some things into perspective for me. _

_I really hope you didn't mean what you said about us breaking up if I left, but as I said before this is too big of an opportunity for me to pass up. I'm going to give you the week to calm down and think things over and then I'll call you. I hope you answer and tell me you love me and will support me through this, but if you can't, then you really aren't the Edward that I know and fell in love with. _

_My heart is breaking as I write this and I want you to know how much I'm going to miss you and that these years with you have meant the world to me. Please don't give up on us. I love you!_

_Always yours,_

_Jasper_

The tears were streaming down my face by the time I finished. There were a mixture of emotions bubbling up inside of me but the most prominent one was anger. I couldn't believe he left me… I was shaking and before I knew it, I was screaming into the pillow on my bed.

I don't know how long I screamed and thrashed and let the anger out but once I was finished I must have fallen back asleep because I woke up to a forceful banging on my dorm door. I checked the clock, it was after two in the afternoon and I had missed both of my morning classes.

My heart leapt at first when I thought it could be Jasper at the door. That is, of course, until I realized that he had a key and wouldn't be knocking. I didn't get up to answer the door or even get out of bed for the rest of the day. I knew I was wallowing but I didn't care; the man who had essentially saved my life had just left me and I felt like I was dying.

I kept expecting him to call or text or give me some sort of sign but my phone stayed quiet all day and night long. At nearly midnight I was so frustrated and pissed off that I chucked my phone at the door and watched it smash into pieces.

Jasper was gone and I had no need for that worthless piece of junk anymore. It would only be a constant reminder of the calls and texts that I was never going to get. Good riddance.

I knew then that Jasper and I had just had another defining moment in our relationship but it wasn't one that I'd ever thought we'd have to deal with. We'd just crossed the line of heartbreak and it sucked.

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><p><strong>I hope you stick with me, tomorrow is a new day and a new segment :) Let me know what you think!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: You guys are ah-maz-za-zing! I came home from work to something like 22 new reviews last night! It made my face contort into a smile that almost broke my face :D I love how many of you are so passionate about these boys and I absolutely loved hearing your opinions on who was in the wrong during the last scene and what you think is going to happen! I won't keep you in suspense any longer than necessary so have the next segment early today as a thank you for being so awesome. Coach, Tiff, and MizzH still rock my socks in every sense of the word and the dedication remains the same. I'll be seeing you, J... someday, somehow! I Love You, doll!**

**xoxo**

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><p><strong>Segment 6 <strong>

I gave myself that one day to wallow in my own self-pity and then decided I had to at least try to act normal if I didn't want anyone to get suspicious of my pain and try to dote on me like some emotionally unstable person.

I threw myself into my schoolwork even more so than I had done before and rarely ever came up for air. It served as my main distraction from the pain that was constantly assaulting my heart. If I kept my head shoved in a book or my brain focusing on making a paper or a film project absolutely perfect then the pain didn't seem as bad, or at least that's what I forced myself to believe.

Bella and Alice knew that Jasper had left for the scholarship but they didn't know how hard I honestly took it. I swore to them that it was okay, that I knew Jasper had to take the opportunity and that we were just taking a break while he was gone. I'm not sure they bought it.

I put up a wall and pushed everyone out of my life as much as I could. It took me a month to finally decide to replace my phone and even then I got a new number so that I wouldn't be tempted to answer if Jasper was still trying to call. I had blocked his email from my account and would only open emails from people I knew as I was sure that he was creating new accounts trying to get to me. It was best for me to make it a clean break, otherwise I'd never be able to move on.

Once in a while Alice and Bella would drag me out of the dorms and made me go clubbing with them. I would protest until they threatened to make me watch chick flicks in the dorms and then I'd usually just sit in a corner drinking and reading a book, turning down the advances of women trying to hit on me.

One night, they took me to a gay club and Bella introduced me to her friend Riley. He was gorgeous and to tell you the truth, it had been over nine months since Jasper had left and I hadn't so much as had a brief touch from another man and my cock was reacting even without my brain's permission. Riley was flirty and fun and quickly had me pressed up against the wall in a corner. It felt so good to feel wanted and the words he kept whispering in my ear made me blush but as soon as he said, "Let me make you feel good, baby; let me take care of you…" something snapped inside of my head.

Jasper was the only person who could call me 'baby' and I automatically began to feel guilty and disgusting for even thinking about being with someone else. I pushed Riley off of me and took off in a mad dash to get out of the club. I hailed the first cab I could and rushed back to the dorm to shower. I felt dirty and grimy and full of shame and my heart was breaking even more.

The only man I'd ever wanted was Jasper and I was sure he would be the only man I could ever love. No one else would ever be able to fill the void that he had created when he left and I realized then that I didn't want anyone else to. I fell to the floor of the shower as sobs wracked my body and I only got up once the water turned to ice and I couldn't take it anymore.

I reserved my emotional breakdowns for when I was alone and continued my act of normalcy out in public. I didn't want word of my instability to get back to Jasper because I was sure that Bella or Alice was in charge of reporting back to him on my condition, although they never mentioned it around me.

Eventually I realized that I was the one that had caused most of my own heartbreak. If I'd only been happy for him and the amazing opportunity he'd been presented with and supported his choice to better his music career like any normal, loving boyfriend, we probably would have still been together. I'd never loathed myself more than after I had that epiphany and that's when I realized that my selfish ass didn't deserve someone as amazing as Jasper. I was such a moron.

It seemed like no time at all before I was graduating with honors. At least all that extra study time had paid off. My film production professors had told me that they rarely had anyone as focused and determined as I was and that if I ever needed a recommendation for a job of any kind that I shouldn't hesitate to use them. It was a great compliment because they had so many students every year and they didn't offer up personal recommendations for just anyone.

It had been a year and a half since the night Jasper left and I felt like I had to get out of Washington as soon as I could because everything there reminded me of him and I couldn't stand it day after day any longer.

I moved back to Chicago and immediately got a job with a very prestigious advertising company shooting commercials and campaigns for their clientele, quickly working my way up to the most important jobs. I wasn't afraid to admit that I was good at my job but I also was hungry to learn and soak up as much information and new techniques as I could from my co-workers and the teams that were ahead of me. It was nice to be good at my career but my personal life was empty and unfulfilling. I missed Jasper.

I'd heard rumors that he was back in the U.S. touring with his band Exposed of The Heroic. They'd formed while he was on scholarship and he stayed with them after his year was up. They had become quite famous around Liverpool and then London and surrounding cities and finally decided to bring their act to the states. I may have been keeping up with him via his website. I swear I wasn't a stalker.

My parents called me out of the blue one day and asked me if I knew that Jasper was going to be playing a concert in Chicago that night. At that point, it had been nearly four years since I'd seen him and even if he didn't know I was there, I had to see him at least one more time. I bought my ticket online and headed to the venue without thinking. It cost me quite a bit but I'd managed to score a second row ticket and I sat there nervously through the entire openers set.

So many questions ran through my head. Was he seeing someone else? Did he even want to see me? Would he know I was in the crowd without being told? My body hummed with an anxious anticipation and I could feel Jasper's presence. He was in the building and he was close but I couldn't touch him or see him and it was killing me.

I almost left three different times but due to my selfishness, I had to stay. I didn't want to disrupt his life but I couldn't force myself to leave. As soon as the opening act was done and the main stage was being set for Jasper's band I began bouncing in my seat. Ten minutes later the curtains were drawn, the lights dimmed, and the announcer introduced the band.

The crowd erupted in screams and began cheering and the second Jasper stepped onto stage, my heart felt whole again. He still looked the same but older and somehow entirely too worn down but he was still my Jasper.

His eyes immediately darted to mine and that was all the reassurance I needed that our connection, however broken it was, was still strong and very real. He didn't smile at me though and when I heard them play, my heart broke more than it had since the night he left.

All of his songs were full of sadness and screamed pain. The way he sang them, with such true and honest emotion, made me realize why he looked so worn down. He played this music every night and wore his emotions on his sleeve. He lived the heartbreak as much as I did and it seemed to be slowly killing him the same way it was killing me.

I instinctively wanted to rush the stage, hold him close and take all his pain away, even though I was the one who had caused it. Tears threatened to spill over as he sang every song looking straight at me.

I couldn't take it anymore and I left. I only got to the doors of the venue before I stopped myself. There I was being selfish again when it was clear that Jasper needed me. I had to get to him but I wasn't sure how.

I began wandering until I saw a door that said 'Backstage' and I walked over to it. There was a large man guarding the door and when he asked to see my pass I told him I didn't have one. I was disappointed because I knew that meant I wasn't getting through the door.

Then he looked at his clipboard and asked me what my name was. When I told him, he smiled and said I was on the list and let me through. I walked until I stumbled upon a door that had Jasper's name on it and I went inside to wait.

I was bombarded by the familiar sent of Jasper as I sat down in a chair and waited. My heart was pounding, my throat was dry, and my legs wouldn't stop moving as the minutes ticked by. It had to be a good forty-five minutes later when I heard voices outside the door and then as slowly as possible, the knob creaked and it pushed open.

Jasper emerged from behind the door, sweaty and tired and had a look on his face that emanated disappointment and anger. He walked over to the chair by the mirror and whipped his soaked shirt over his head. He hadn't noticed me yet and I was holding my breath in anticipation of his reaction.

His eyes finally met mine in the mirror and time stood still. It felt like an eternity before he acknowledged me. "Edward..." He looked relieved for a micro-second before his face scrunched back up into one of general nonchalance and with that, his wall was back.

"Jasper…" I whispered and couldn't hold back any longer; I had to touch him. I walked up behind him and placed my hand on his shoulder lightly and in the one small touch, my entire world felt right again, if only for a moment.

Jasper flinched out of my touch and walked over to the couch. "I thought you'd left…" he stated as he sat down and lit a cigarette.

"When did you start smoking?" I asked as if I didn't have a verbal filter.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Edward," he answered sarcastically.

That was one of the worst things he could've said to me. Jasper was the one person I knew inside out, upside down and right side up. I guess things really had changed.

"Can I sit?" I asked carefully, not wanting him to get up and leave or to kick me out.

"Yeah… whatever."

I sat down as close to him as I could without feeling like I was invading his private space. "Listen, Jasper, I know we've got a lot to talk about but I don't really wanna do it here. Will you come back to my place with me?"

"I've got to leave in the morning." He exhaled a puff of smoke and seemed to shrink further into the couch.

"I know and I swear to have you back on time, I just really need to spend some time with you and if I know you at all, you want the same." I took a chance and laced my fingers through his. "Please, Jas, I miss you."

He sat there quietly for several minutes as if he were weighing the pros and cons in his head but his fingers never left mine. I took that as a good sign.

"Alright, but I need to shower first," he relented as I saw his guard dropping a bit.

"You can shower at my place if you want; I'm sure it's cleaner."

Jasper stood up and pulled me with him, not letting go of our grip and my foot got twisted up with his and I began to fall into him. He caught me in his arms which wrapped around my waist tightly holding me to him. It was the closest thing to a hug I figured I would get so I let myself get lost in his almost embrace before he righted me.

"Thanks…" I murmured, mourning the loss of his touch. He grabbed a bag and shoved some clothes into it before opening the door and leading us out of the venue. We didn't talk on the way back to my place but Jasper's hand rested on my thigh the entire car ride.

As soon as we entered my apartment, I showed Jasper to the guest bathroom and let him have his shower time. I lit a fire in the fire place and grabbed two beers, two glasses and a bottle of bourbon from the kitchen. I figured alcohol was going to be necessary for the night to go smoothly.

Jasper emerged from the bathroom in a pair of flannel sleep pants and no shirt and slowly walked over to the couch. He sat at one end and I sat at the other.

"Beer?" I asked and he nodded so I handed one to him and opened the other myself. We sat there drinking in uncomfortable silence for several moments before Jasper spoke up.

"Why did you give up on me?" His voice was shaky and I could instantly see his guard drop and his vulnerability shining through.

"I was so mad when I woke up and you were gone. I kept expecting you to show back up but you never did," I answered honestly.

"You were supposed to be supportive and happy for me but you couldn't do that. I needed you and you let me down." He finished the last of his beer and sat the bottle on my coffee table.

"I realize that now, Jas, but back then all I could see was the one person who was always there for me abandoning me. I ended up shattering my phone and didn't bother getting a new one for a month because I felt like if you weren't there then what was the point?"

Jasper's eyes kept falling to the bourbon bottle so I poured two glasses and handed him one. "I tried to call you, email you, text you, anything to get you to talk to me and I failed miserably…" He raised the glass to his lips and downed it in one gulp. "Then I got ahold of Alice a few months later and she said you seemed fine, a bit withdrawn but overall okay and that was the point when I realized that I must've meant nothing to you and that was the final blow that smashed my heart."

I moved to sit as close to him as possible. "Jasper, you're the only person who has ever meant anything to me. Do you know how hard it was for me to pretend that everything was okay? It was all an act and once I realized how absolutely selfish I was being, I knew you deserved better than that, than me."

"Maybe I did, Edward, but you're the only person I've ever wanted… that I've ever loved, and you gave up on us. How am I supposed to get past that? I fucking need you so desperately and I don't know how to move on."

"I'm so sorry, Jas, so fucking sorry, but I still need you too. What do you need from me? What can I do to make this up to you? Please give me a second chance to prove that you're all I've ever needed," I pleaded desperately with him.

Jasper drew in a deep breath before taking the bottle of bourbon and drinking it straight. "There's just one thing I need to know tonight and we can work the rest of it out later because fuck, Edward, I can't live without you anymore if there's the option of being with you."

"What is it, Jasper? What do you need to know? I'll tell you anything… just please," I practically begged.

Jasper looked nervous and asked so low it was almost a whisper, "Has there been anyone else?"

"No one…" I pledged honestly. "There was a boy in a club once, one of Bella's friends, but once he touched me I couldn't go through with it; I couldn't stand the thought of anyone else touching me. It's always been you and only you.

The look in Jasper's eyes was feral as he launched himself at me and pinned me against the side of the couch. His entire body was lying on top of mine and my cock sprang to life instantaneously. "You've spent four years celibate because of me?" he asked sincerely, almost in complete awe as he stared deep into my eyes.

"No, I've spent four years celibate because of me, because of my own stupidity… has there been anyone else for you?" I asked as I closed my eyes, completely afraid of his answer.

I was startled by the sudden breath on my neck and the words in my ear, "No one… I just didn't expect that from you. I always had hope; I just thought you'd given up."

I wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him even closer to me so that I could feel every single inch of him against me. "I could never give up… I've always wanted you." I thrust up against him for the first time in too long and it felt so very right. "I love you, Jasper."

Jasper lay on top of me as we continued to thrust together, shamelessly chasing something together that I'd thought we would never have again. "Edward… stop."

My mind didn't register his words at first. "STOP!" he cried out more forcefully.

The pain in my heart returned. I was positive he'd changed his mind; I knew I wasn't worth it. He really did deserve someone better and I turned my face away so he couldn't see the tears threatening to spill over.

"No, don't… That's not…" He sighed deeply. "I just meant… I don't want to do it like this. Not our first time together again, I mean."

I looked up at him and he brushed away one of the stray tears.

"Jasper, I need to know something, too…"

"What?"

"Can you ever forgive me for what I did? For the time we lost because of my selfishness? Because if you can't, then this is never going to work…"

He leaned in and finally pressed his lips to mine in one of the most passionate and loving kisses I'd ever experienced with him. His lips on mine felt so perfect, so completely right. It was the way it should have always been.

He was so gentle and insistent at the same time. There was no more anger or resentment left in his facial expressions and the next words out of his mouth were the ones I needed to hear most.

"Take me to bed…" he whispered.

We got off the couch and padded up the stairs to my bedroom and the second Jasper entered my body to connect us again in the most intimate way, I knew without a doubt that we'd just crossed the line of forgiveness.

* * *

><p><strong>Yaaaaay! Right? :) What do you think? Too easy or did they torture themselves enough? MizzH graciously offered up the line "No, I've spent four years celibate because of me, because of my own stupidity," and I wish I could take credit for that perfect line in the perfect spot but I can't :( She's brilliant isn't she? :)<strong>

**Let me know what you think! Back again tomorrow :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: You guys are blowing me away! Thank you so much for all the reviews and favorites and just overall for the support and love you've shown me and these boys! I love you all so much! Tiff, Coach, and MizzH: You guys mean more to me than most and I couldn't have done this without your love, brainpower, and unconditional support. You guys PWN me and I owe you so much!**

**Dedication hasn't changed and in my heart, it never will. It's amazing how one person can come into your life for such a short period of time and have a life-long impact on you. I will never forget you bb! This one is for you, you always deserved the very best and I like to think you are living it up wherever you are. **

**xoxo**

* * *

><p><strong>Segment 7 <strong>

Jasper had to leave the next morning to continue with his tour and I had to go to work, but things between us were finally healing. It wasn't easy but we worked every day to re-establish trust and faith in each other and our newly re-formed relationship. There were arguments and tears as we worked everything out but we were determined.

We would talk on the phone well into the night after his shows and texted throughout the days. Jasper would fly back into Chicago on his days off or when they had breaks and we spent the next several months living a choreographed dance with each other's schedules, but we made it work because there was nothing that was going to come between us again.

One day, out of the blue, Jasper called me on my lunch break. "Hey, gorgeous," I answered with a mouthful of salad.

"Hey, baby!" he answered back, in a particularly cheerful mood.

"To what do I owe this midday pleasure?" I asked as Jasper had my curiosity piqued.

"Well, I have some great news for you, if you're willing to keep an open mind," he answered excitedly. I could just picture him bouncing in anticipation on the other end.

"Okay, love, my mind's open. What's up?" I smiled knowing he was so happy.

"Well, the guy who records our shows and does our promotional campaign just found out his wife is pregnant and is quitting to stay home with her. I showed them your work and just how fucking talented you are with a camera and they want you!" He was nearly shouting into the phone at that point.

"Are you serious?" I asked him as my jaw dropped and my fork hit the table.

"Dead serious! This means they'll pay for everything for you to travel with us and the salary is good! It's probably not as good as what you make now, but we'd get to be together all the time, baby. Just think about how great that would be for us."

The second he said we could be together all the time was the second I made up my mind. "When can I talk to them? When can I start?" My heart was pounding and my mind was racing but I'd screwed up before and lost a lot of time with my boyfriend; I wasn't going to make that mistake again.

"They'll contact you later today, but I had to call you now! Oh, baby, I'm so excited to be able to have you all the time again."

"Oh, Jas, this is the best news ever." I couldn't wait to get to him.

"I can't wait to see how many states I can fuck your ass in; God, Edward, I'm so hard just thinking about it…" he growled and my cock reacted.

"Well, we've got two states under our belts right now; I can't wait to add to the count. Where are you again?" I desperately wanted to relieve myself but couldn't because I was at work and my boss could've walked in at any moment.

"I'm in Colorado right now, but you could be here by tomorrow night…" he hinted.

"I've got to put the finishing touches on these graphics I've been working on all morning, but I'll be anxiously waiting the phone call with the official offer from your management team. I love you, Jas," I told him, willing my erection down.

"I love you, too, Edward; I'll see you tomorrow night!"

I just chuckled because I knew I'd be hearing from him later that night, I had some important business for him to take care of.

I got the official offer later that day and let HR know that it would be my last day. They were not happy to see me go, but I knew where I belonged and that was wherever Jasper was.

The next year flew by as Exposed of the Heroic rose to even higher levels of popularity with the help of my promotional and camera operating skills. It helped a lot in getting them new fans and putting their name out there even more, especially on the social media sites geared toward the younger demographic.

One night, during an arena show in Seattle that all of our friends and family had gotten tickets to, Jasper was up on stage doing his thing magnificently. The crowd was cheering louder than usual and everyone seemed to be having a great time.

After one of their more popular songs, a much happier one than they had been playing less than a year before, Jasper stepped up to the mic stand. "Hey everyone, are you having a good time tonight?" he asked with a smile and the crowd roared their answer back.

"You guys are great fans and we appreciate you all for coming, but would y'all mind if I took a moment to do something I've been wanting to do for a while?" He flashed them his panty dropping smile and they cheered even louder for him.

"As some of you may know, I'm originally from a small town just a few hours away from here named Forks… ever heard of it?" The crowd hooted and hollered and egged him on.

I kept the camera on him but gave him my 'What are you doing?' look. He winked at me and continued.

"Well, about fourteen years ago, I was walking through a park on my way home and came across a boy who needed my help and to be honest, that day changed my life. That boy quickly became my best friend and several years later, my boyfriend. Would you all like to meet him?"

My jaw dropped as the crowd applauded and Jasper gestured for me to join him on the stage. One of the stage hands quickly took the camera from me and my heart was pounding as I walked up to him.

Jasper turned back to the crowd. "This is Edward and I think it's safe for me to say that he's the love of my life."

I'm sure the crowd was going wild but I was far too focused on the sneaky man in front of me to pay attention to them. "Tonight, in front of our family, a few friends and all of you wonderful Exposed of the Heroic fans out there, I want to take a moment to tell Edward a few things."

He turned to face me and took the mic off the stand. "Edward, I know things haven't always been perfect between us, but from the first day I met you, I knew you were it for me. I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone else."

Before I could even register what was happening, Jasper was down on one knee and had a ring in front of me. "Edward, will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the world?"

"YES!" I answered without even thinking as I launched myself at him. "I love you so much!"

Jasper caught me in the tightest embrace and the crowd was deafening as they cheered for us. I couldn't believe Jasper had just done that in front of a hundred thousand people but if I'd had any doubts at all about us, he erased them in an instant with his public declaration of love for me.

Jasper slipped the ring on my finger and I kissed him chastely before resuming my position behind the camera, my heart still thumping while I struggled to focus on my job.

After the concert was over and Jasper was showered, we were bombarded with hugs and congratulations from our families. Bella and Alice had to get back to their families but my parents passed on their best wishes to us.

We went out for a late dinner to celebrate and then ended up back at the hotel talking and reminiscing for most of the night. My mother had asked us when and where we planned on having the wedding and we assured them that we would let them know and that they would be there no matter what. Once they left to head back to their rooms and Jasper and I celebrated in our own way for the rest of the night.

That night had marked the end of the big U.S. tour and gave the band a couple months off before they had to head back to England to record a new album. Jasper decided that he didn't want to wait and quickly began making plans and I did not object to a quick wedding. I loved the man more than ever and wanted him as my husband as soon as possible.

Two weeks later we were separated from each other and waiting anxiously for our ceremony to begin. As I got into my tux with my mother and father in the room with me, a warm and fuzzy sensation took over my body. I was about to marry the love of my life and it was an absolute dream come true which was only made better by the unconditional support of my family.

I checked my watch for what seemed like the thousandth time and it was finally time for us get started, so I let my parents escort me out of the room and down to the hall. We'd decided to both walk down from opposite ends with our parents as to avoid the thought of one being the girl walking down the aisle toward the other and we met up in the middle of the room on a little podium. The guests' chairs had been arranged in a semi-circle around the podium.

Our parents gave us their blessing and headed to sit down as Jasper laced his finger through mine.

Jasper's Uncle Garrett had flown in from Texas to officiate the ceremony and he began. "Good afternoon friends and family and welcome. We have gathered here today to witness the union of Jasper and Edward. They have asked each and every one of you here today to witness as two hearts become one."

Jasper smiled so sincerely at me that it made my heart flutter and I squeezed his hand. "Some people define marriage as the union between one man and one woman, but what I'd like to know is how they can look at two people, such as Jasper and Edward, who love each other so completely and not see their love as something as equal and beautiful and deserving of the same rights. Love is love and should be celebrated in all its beautiful forms.

"Marriage is a bond not to be entered into lightly and should only be done after considerable thought and reflection. By making this commitment today, Edward and Jasper's relationship will become even stronger, better, and deeper. Today these boys demonstrate their devotion to each other by dedicating themselves to a life together and they show their respect for each other by promising to honor the vows they have created. Today, their lives, which began on separate paths, will be joined together forever."

Uncle Garrett stepped to the side to reveal the small table holding the Unity Sand. "I'd like to invite you all to watch as Jasper and Edward each pour their different colored sand in together. The blue sand represents Edward as an individual while the green sand represents Jasper.

"Once they pour the grains of sand together, it will be impossible to separate them from each other again and will symbolize the union of the boys' souls, now a part of the other forever."

Jasper picked up his tube as I picked up mine and together we watched our individuality mix together in the heart shaped glass that would forever represent us as one.

Once we were done, we put the cork in the top and turned back to face our guests. Both Jasper's and my own mother were already sobbing and Bella and Alice were beaming at us from their respective seats. Our fathers were silent and proud as the held their loves. I knew that someday, it would be Jasper and I sitting there holding each other watching our children marrying their love. It was amazing to witness.

"Deep abiding affection, the magical and compelling shared impulse that makes us seek each other's company is among the greatest gifts of the human experience. Any of us who has been fortunate enough to find and express the kind of loving devotion that we are celebrating here today knows that it is an awesome and beautiful thing."

I couldn't help but stare in awe at the man in front of me who wanted to spend the rest of his life with me but Uncle Garrett pulled me out of my trance as he continued.

"This understanding brings me to the first of three suggestions I will offer to you today. Be constantly grateful for the presence of this precious person who has chosen to make a life with you.

"My second suggestion is to make each other the recipient of daily kindness. This world can be a tough place for any of us, but it can be especially difficult for those who are different in the eyes of the world. Be generous with your compliments, attentive and helpful when the other is in need and don't ever go to bed angry. It's worth a bit of sleep deprivation to work out your problems immediately.

"Each of you can, by your tenderness toward each other, kind words and thoughtful actions make your marriage and your home an uplifting and safe place."

I didn't see that as a problem for us because kindness and thoughtfulness for the other was something we had an abundance of. We'd just have to make sure to keep it up for the rest of our lives.

"Last, but perhaps most importantly, make truth the center of your lives together. A happy and loving marriage is always built on trust and respect and can only be sustained if you are both deeply committed to always being open and truthful in every exchange no matter how small. Don't let small misunderstandings turn into war and be sure to communicate often.

"My biggest hope for you is that you have many long years to enjoy each other's company, to feel gratitude for your good fortune in having found and loved each other, to make a home together that is both sheltering and welcoming, to each do meaningful and productive work at home and in the world and to love and be loved by the friends and family who have come here today to support you!"

Jasper turned to me with eyes full of promise and held both of my hands between us and I hoped that my own eyes reflected how much I wanted our marriage to last.

Uncle Garrett turned us to face our guests. "There is one thing I must ask from you today as witnesses to this union. I ask that you promise to always stand beside them and never between them, to offer them your love and your support and not your judgment. I ask that you encourage them when needed and listen to them when they ask for advice. These are the ways that you can honor the marriage that Jasper and Edward have come to be joined in today. Will you promise these things?"

"We do…" they all answered in unison.

"Jasper and Edward, please turn to each other and listen carefully. Do you, today in front of your family and friends, stand here of your own free will to be joined together in marriage?"

I nodded to Jasper who squeezed my hands in reassurance. "We do…"

"And do you promise to love each other through all of life's experiences, good and bad, and to take care of each other through sickness and health, until you are no longer on this Earth?"

"We do…"

"Jasper and Edward have both written their own vows and would like to share them now. Edward, please go ahead."

I took a half step toward Jasper and began to speak. "Jasper, since the first day I met you when you saved me from those bullies, I've been so thankful for you. It was one of the most horrifying and sickening days of my life but I wouldn't trade it for anything because it's the day that brought me you. You've been my savior in so many ways and I have no idea how to repay you for everything you've given me but I stand here today and vow to spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you and how much you mean to me. You are my better half and I swear to you I will never do anything to jeopardize your trust or faith in me. I love you, Jasper; thank you for loving me back."

It took every ounce of self-restraint in my body not to step forward and kiss the hell out of my man.

"Jasper, please share your vows to Edward," Uncle Garrett requested.

"Gladly," Jasper answered as he closed the distance between us and cradled my face in one of his hands.

"Edward, I've loved you for as long as I can remember. As horrible as it was for me to see you on the ground all muddy and beaten, I can't find it in me to regret that day because it was the beginning of the rest of my life. You showed me what loyalty and friendship truly meant and the day that you told me you thought you loved me was the best day of my life until today.

"We've had our ups and downs but that's what makes us stronger and more determined to make this marriage work. I can't possibly imagine what my life would have been like without you in it and I never want to find out. My vow to you is to spend every day of forever experiencing new and exciting things and watching our love grow even stronger. You make me want to be better every single day and I want you to know that I will love you always."

Tears streamed down my face at that point and I didn't give a fuck who saw. Jasper's words were so heartfelt and sincere that I could feel the love I had for him doubling and tripling in that moment and it felt amazing.

"That was so special boys, thank you for allowing us to be a part of your personal declaration to each other. Now, the ring is a symbol that has no beginning or ending and therefore goes on forever just like the love that's being declared here today. Jasper, Edward, please take out the rings."

I reached into my jacket pocket and removed the ring I'd picked out for Jasper and watched as he did the same for me.

"Jasper, please repeat after me and then place the ring on Edward's finger," Uncle Garrett instructed. "I give you this ring as a sign that I choose you to be my lover, my partner and my best friend until the end of my days. Please wear it, think of me, and know that I love you forever."

Jasper spoke the words with so much emotion in his voice and gently slipped the ring on my shaking finger and then I did the same as Jasper's ring slid easily over his knuckle into its rightful place as I held back my joy.

"Jasper, Edward, we have heard your promise to share your lives in marriage. We recognize and respect the vows you have made here today before each one of us as a witness.

"In the honesty and sincerity of what you have said and done here today, it is my honor to declare you to be husbands and ask that you seal your vows with a kiss."

The part I'd been waiting for finally arrived and Jasper's lips met mine in a merging of our souls as we embraced each other.

As Jasper pulled back and smiled at me, my heart melted. My husband… he was finally my husband.

"It is my pleasure to introduce to you today for the first time ever, Edward and Jasper Cullen-Whitlock."

The room erupted with cheers and screams and squeals of happiness and joy as we walked down the podium to our parents to begin the rest of our lives together.

If there was one thing I was absolutely sure of it was that the bond we shared would never be broken. I smiled as I hugged Jasper once again and realized that we'd just crossed the line into our forever.

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><p><strong>Tomorrow is the last segment! I hope this one lived up to your expectations. I did a lot of research to find out what normal wedding ceremonies are like and what same-sex marriage ceremonies were like and did my best to combine them to make the perfect ceremony for the boys. I know it could have been shorter but I didn't want to cut out any of the sentiments that Uncle Garrett had to offer. Especially after everything the boys have been through to get to this point!<strong>

**One more thing... I just finished a couple of stories both J/E by the fabulous Owenic and I wanted to share because they both sucked me in and I read them each in one night. They are amazing the first one is Sixty-Five Hours and the second was His Grandfather's Watch which is a sweet and sad and absolutely mind-blowingly perfect! *sigh* you really need to take it upon yourself to read these. You can find them in my favorites! See y'all tomorrow!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: You guys are gonna put me over 100 reviews in 8 segments and I could kiss you all! You have made this fic such a wonderful journey and I thank you all so much for taking it with me. Now I was asked about writing different more specific moments of their life as an added bonus later since the story is more generalized over a long period of time and doesn't give too much detail and I would have no problem with that! If any of you have specific events or ideas then feel free to PM me or leave it in a review and I'll do my best to give you guys what you want since you've all been so amazing to me. To Tiff, MizzH, and Coach, I couldn't have done this without you and I love you guys sooooo much!**

**As always, the dedication remains the same and this story is for Jack. While Jack was here, he started this website called Voices to help those in the LGBTQ community share their stories and realize that they are not alone. If you would like to check out the site or add your own story, please go here and help to spread the word to keep his legacy going. He was such a light in this world of darkness and one of the best men I never met. **

** sites . google site / notalonevoices / voices (make sure to remove the spaces) **

**This was his dream to help people and to make it easier, if even just a little, for those who need to know that they are NOT alone. Please think about contributing, there's a link at the bottom to add your own story.**

**Here it is, the last segment unless you ask for a specific outtake. Don't be shy and if you liked these boys, feel free to check out some of my other work!**

**xoxo**

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><p><strong>Segment 8 <strong>

Our life together was full of everything we ever could have hoped for. Jasper's band had about five more years of success together before they all mutually decided that they'd done all they could as one entity and split up.

That decision led us to an agreement that we should leave Chicago and head back to Washington to be closer to our families, so we bought a house in Seattle where we were so much happier.

It wasn't hard for me to find another amazing job with great benefits while Jasper continued to play small venues on his own. His song writing also really took off when lot of big name artists started snatching up Jasper's songs as he cranked them out. That was something Jasper took great pride in and who could blame him. He had a knack for writing down things that people could really relate to and that's what made a great hit song.

Once we were really settled and comfortable with where we were in life, Jasper and I sat down and had a long and detailed discussion about what we wanted to do next which led us to the conclusion that having children was the natural next step. We'd both always wanted to have kids but the decision of adoption versus surrogacy was a difficult one. In the end, it would have been too hard to decide which one of us got to be the biological father and adoption meant that we could make a difference in the life of a child who needed someone to love them.

The process was a long and stressful one but we were finally picked by a sweet young woman who was having twins and didn't have any way to support them. She said of all the couples she'd met with, she could tell that we would be the best, most loving parents that her babies could ever hope for and she was finally at peace with her decision to give them up for adoption.

Our family was finally complete when the babies were born and placed into our care, a gorgeous little boy we named Andrew and a beautiful little princess named Aliyah. They instantly became the center of our lives.

They kept us busy as the years flew by. Dance classes, karate, piano and guitar lessons, soccer and softball were just a few of the things that we had to deal with. As they got older there were boyfriends and girlfriends, school dances, more sporting events and of course, before we knew it, they were graduating high school.

We were the poster boys for proud parents as our babies crossed the stage to receive their diplomas and even prouder when they both were awarded scholarships to different colleges. Aliyah went to UCLA on a full academic scholarship and Andrew on football scholarship to the University of Oklahoma.

When the house was empty again, Jasper and I both went through a bad case of empty nest syndrome and eventually decided to take some time to travel. We'd successfully added thirty seven states to our count in the many years travelling with Exposed of the Heroic and by the time we were fifty-five we'd finally accomplished all fifty of them and were members of the Mile High Club two different times. It was always nice when you could cross something off of your bucket list.

Jasper and his band mates had a huge reunion concert in England when he was fifty-eight and we flew the kids out with their significant others to witness their daddy in his one true element, on the big stage entertaining the masses.

Aliyah's boyfriend Matthew took that opportunity to ask us for her hand in marriage and less than six months later, they married and announced that they were expecting our first grandchild. Andrew followed quickly in her footsteps, as not to be outdone, and before long, Jasper and I had several grandchildren to spoil and love.

The saddest thing about growing old was watching the people we loved most pass on. My father went first, followed by Jasper's mother, then my mom and finally his dad. It was never easy to deal with but we supported each other through the overwhelming grief and sadness that each death brought and it brought us closer in the end.

We had more than our fair share of fights over the years since we were both passionate and stubborn men but we took Uncle Garrett's advice and never went to bed mad. Let me assure you that this meant we had a lot of sleepless nights. It wasn't always easy but we never let it break us up and we both kept our promises to love each other unconditionally through sickness and in health.

The worst day of my life came at the ripe old age of seventy-six. That was the day we learned about Jasper's cancer and the day my life started to crumble. It was in his lungs and by the time we found out about it, it was too late to do anything to stop it.

We moved into a hospice home as I was unable to do everything for him due to my own age and arthritis that had set in. The kids and grandkids visited us every week but they were busy and couldn't make it every day.

I watched helplessly as the cancer sucked the life out of the man I'd loved for sixty-four years and little by little the cancer took me with it. Every day that Jasper got worse, I lost a little more of my will to live.

**(Present Day)**

There's a saying that's stuck with me for years and it's never been more true than it is for me tonight. It goes, "If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live a day without you."

I've known for a while that it's only a matter of time until Jasper leaves me for good and it's not looking good tonight as we lay in bed together, holding each other as tightly as we can. He's having such a hard time breathing and it's breaking my heart that I can't do anything to help him. "Jasper, you know I love you right?" I ask him quietly.

"Of course, Edward; I love you, too," he wheezes and then coughs hard.

"I couldn't have asked for a better life with the most amazing man in the world. You've given me everything I've ever wanted and I've been so happy with you…" I want him to know how much he means to me one last time.

"Same here, darling'." He sucks in another ragged breath and I can tell he's weakening even as we speak. "It's been one hell of a ride."

"I don't want you to leave me, baby, I can't live without you. You own my heart and without you here, it won't have anything to beat for." The tears slip down my cheeks as I lay my head on his chest and hold his hand.

"I know, darlin', I know… but I don't have a choice," he whispers as his eyes close. "I love you, Edward."

"I love you, too, baby," I choke out through the sobs threatening to escape. "Good-bye my angel; I'll see you soon, I promise."

I listen and cry as I feel his heart stop beating and his grip on mine loosens. I know instantly that I have nothing left to live for and our children will understand my need to follow my heart that feels dead already. I slowly feel the life seeping out of me as the darkness takes over and I know that I'm crossing one final line with my soul mate by my side, the line into our eternity.

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><p><strong>That killed me to write, btw, I sobbed until I could no longer see the screen but this is what the boys told me happened. I've always loved the idea that two people were so in love with each other that they couldn't live without the other and left this world Notebook Style. That's how I'm going out, Notebook Style with Coach. I lubs her that much. <strong>

**You guys have made this so awesome for me and I thank you for that! I'll see ya around I hope! Keep in touch, y'all :) Follow me on Twitter: JasperLuver48**

**Much Love, Mel**


	9. Mile High Jpov Outtake

**A/N: You guys are amazing and I am so pleased that so many of you liked the ending of the story so much. I never meant to make you all cry, but I'm so glad you felt as attached to these boys as I do. I've had several different outtakes requested and I'm working on one that will be Jasper's POV of the years that he and Edward were apart but until then, I had this little smutlet pop into my head and had to get it down. It takes place just after Edward takes the job with Jasper's band and it's really just because I felt like giving y'all some smut! I hope you like it and stay tuned for more from these boys!**

**xoxo**

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><p><strong>Mile High Outtake - JPOV<strong>

I was the luckiest man on Earth. It had been four amazing months since Edward took the job with my band and we had just found out a few days prior that Exposed of the Heroic was nominated for Best Break-Out Group in the American Music Awards. We had just boarded a plane that was headed to Los Angeles for the ceremony and were finally settled into our seats.

"How cool is this?" I asked Edward as his legs were bouncing slightly in anticipation. "We've never been nominated for anything like this before and we've never flown first class before."

"It's super cool, Jas, you guys deserve it," he replied, twisting his fingers together. I grabbed a blanket and covered myself up; it was quite chilly in the cabin.

I knew that Edward still got nervous during the take-off and the landing since we normally took our tour bus and I was trying to figure out how to take his mind off of things when the plane started moving.

The plane was just about to taxi down the runway when Edward leaned over the arm rest and placed a light kiss on my neck, right below my ear. "Have I told you how much I love you lately?" His hand was squeezing mine tightly but he resumed kissing my neck. He needed the distraction and lord knows I wasn't objecting to his affection.

Then he started to nibble a little and my jeans began to fit bit too tight. "Edward, we're on a plane and there's no way to discretely relieve this little problem you're creating." I could feel his lips play into a smile as the plane began to ascend; Edward doubled his efforts, adding licking and sucking to the equation. He slipped his hand under my blanket and began to slowly rub my crotch area. He was really asking for it.

By the time we were flying normally again, my cock was so hard it was aching and throbbing and I couldn't be expected to sit there for three hours with no relief, and I definitely wasn't gonna jizz in my pants on the plane. I could see the mischievous look in Edward's eye as he glanced down at my noticeable hard-on and the way he licked his lips. He was trying to figure out a solution.

The flight attendant quickly made her way through the aisles, taking drink orders so as soon as she was gone and we had our drinks, I gulped my down and growled at Edward in a low whisper, "Bathroom. Three minutes." By the time my words made sense in his brain, I was already up and half-way to the lavatory.

I turned my head slightly and winked at him before opening the door and slipping inside. Holy hell, my cock was still hard and I unzipped my pants to relieve the pressure a bit. The seconds on my watch ticked by loudly in the silence of the small room and it seemed like for-fucking-ever before the door slid open and my boyfriend appeared.

"Lock the damn door and get over here…" I demanded roughly. My need for him had increased instantly as soon as I could smell his delicious scent. Once the door indicated occupied, I grabbed Edward and pulled him to me. "You've created a little problem for me, baby, and now you're gonna solve it." I crushed my lips to his and his tongue immediately invaded my mouth. There was almost nothing better in the world than kissing Edward; he always made me feel so loved and wanted and since we'd gotten back together he'd been even more affectionate than he was before.

"Jesus, Jasper, I need you… Take me, fuck me hard…" he begged as he unbuttoned his jeans and pushed them to his ankles along with his boxers.

I knew we didn't have much time so I grabbed the lube packet and condom that I'd conveniently put my pocket (because I absolutely had not been hoping to fuck my boyfriend in the bathroom on the plane) and prepped him quickly with one hand as I stroked his straining cock with the other.

Edward was panting and biting his lip in order to keep his moans from becoming too loud. "I'm ready, Jas, FUCK… just now please…."

With the condom in place and Edward sufficiently bent over the sink, I lined myself up and slowly pushed into his tight ass, making sure not to go too fast in case Edward wasn't as ready and he claimed to be. I couldn't help but groan in pure pleasure as I watched myself disappear inch by inch; it was always so erotic to watch.

His moans of "yes" and "fuck" and "God move now" let me know he was ready to be taken, so I leaned over him, holding his back firmly to my chest and devoured his lips as I pulled out and slammed back into him over and over.

"Oh… fucking goddamn…." Edward whimpered. "So good, Jas, I love your cock."

"My cock loves your ass, baby, it was made for me." My hips were aggressively jackhammering him at that point, hitting that sweet spot repeatedly as Edward's rambling became increasingly incoherent, indicating his impending climax.

I had already been so worked up that it didn't take long before I was teetering on the edge and ready to fall into bliss myself.

"Touch yourself, Edward, come for me…" I commanded as his hand flew to his dick and tugged a few times before he came, forcefully kissing me and allowing me to swallow his cries so that we didn't alert the flight attendants to what was happening.

I flew over the edge as his walls spasmed against my sensitive cock and I bit down on his shoulder, through his shirt, to keep myself from howling instinctively as the heat flooded my system and I filled the condom, spurt after spurt.

Edward sighed deeply as he grabbed some paper towels and cleaned himself and the front of the sink up and then slowly dragged his pants back into place. I buttoned my jeans back up and then we both washed our hands.

"That was better than I ever imagined it would it be," I admitted to Edward as I hugged him tightly. "I love you, darlin'."

"I love you, too," he whispered into my ear. "I'll go first; you follow me after a few minutes…"

I watched Edward walk out and I could never get tired of that sight. The way his jeans hugged his gorgeous ass, the way his muscles clenched and flexed in the most deliciously inviting way. I had to stop thinking that way before another problem could pop up.

After a couple minutes, I exited the lavatory myself and got a couple of disgusted looks from passengers who had to have realized what just happened in there. It took a lot of strength not to flip 'em off, so I just smirked at them and kept walking.

When I was approaching my seat, Demitri (the drummer of the band) high-fived me from his seat and gave me the thumbs up sign. That was one of the reasons I loved my band members so much, they accepted and loved me for who I was without conditions.

As I slid back into my seat next to Edward, he grabbed my hand immediately and threaded his fingers with mine. "So… you've imagined that before?" he asked me curiously.

"Many times," I told him.

"That's so hot." His smile was genuine and his eyes were drooping. Orgasms always made him incredibly sleepy and it would make the landing so much easier if he was out.

"Know what?" he mumbled as his head fell onto my shoulder.

"What's that, babe?"

"We just joined the Mile High Club." And with that, he was out.

The smile remained on my face for the rest of the flight; it wasn't every day that we could cross an item off of our bucket list.

I really was the luckiest man in the world.

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><p><strong>Don't be shy! Let me know what you thought! I'll be back soonish I hope with another glimpse into these boys' lives! xoxo<strong>


	10. Time Apart JPOV Outtake

**Author's Note: Surprise! I'm back! I know it's been a long time and you all have every right to hate me and to riot against me and refuse to read anything I write ever again! I wouldn't blame you if you did! But... I wrote you a JPOV outtake that shows what he was up to in Liverpool during the four years that he and Edward spent apart. What's the occasion you might ask? You remember in all the author's notes from the original story how the dedication was for Jack? Well his birthday is coming up on the 13th of July and I thought this would be a good way to remember him. I got it done early and wanted to give it to you all soon! Especially in light of the huge step forward that was taken in the pursuit of equality for all! Jack would've been so incredibly happy and proud to be an American today so here it is. **

**My two lovely friends MizzH and mw138 did the pre-reads/edits on this for me! It took me a bit to get back into the writing headspace and a lot of time to match up the things going on with Jasper to the things that happened in Edward's timeline but I hope I don't let you guys down with this! There is some overlap when they finally meet up at the concert in Chicago but you see Jasper's side this time. Feel free to go back and re-read Segment 5 & 6 in EPOV if you need a refresher before Jasper's side is revealed! I love you all and try to be gentle! **

**xoxo**

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><p><strong>Time Apart Outtake<strong>

**JPOV**

Have you ever been in that place where you can't decide between pissed off beyond belief and devastated to the core, so you are all over the place, ready to go ballistic on anyone who gets in your way or cry at the drop of a hat?

Yeah, that's how I felt as I boarded the plane to Liverpool. I realized that it couldn't have been easy for Edward to walk in when he did, but I'd only gotten the call an hour before and he was in class. In a perfect world, I would have had more time to explain to Edward what was going on and, yeah, maybe I could have been a little less cheerful in my approach, but if I hadn't have put on that brave face, I would have been crying my eyes out and ended up staying.

The thought of leaving Edward for an entire year made my stomach lurch and my heart crack, but I knew it would be the best thing for us in the end. I couldn't let this opportunity pass and Edward would come to understand that; he just needed some space to figure it out. At least that's what I tried to convince myself over and over again as I stared blankly out my window during the eight and a half hour flight across the ocean.

When I landed in Liverpool, it was bright and sunny which was a total contradiction to my mood. Four o'clock in the afternoon and I was exhausted but instantly glad that I'd left early enough Friday morning to be sure that I could begin to acclimate myself to the time change before I started classes on Monday.

I made my way through the airport to baggage claim, following the signs and sending up a silent thank you that I wasn't alone in a country where they spoke a different language. My heart was aching; I missed Edward so badly that I considered hopping on a plane and flying back to him. If I'd left soon enough, I could've been in his arms by bedtime but I knew that wouldn't be the right solution.

After I gathered up my luggage, I caught a cab and headed to the university to get checked in and find my room.

A couple of hours later, I was sitting on my bed in the room I shared with a guy named Felix. He was nice overall and didn't have a problem with me being gay; I figured it was a good idea to get that information out there right away because I was planning on talking to or Skyping with Edward whenever I could and didn't want any problems.

I kept obsessively checking my phone, knowing that Edward had to have found my letter by that point and was hoping that by some miracle he wasn't mad and would call me early. I had promised to give him a week and was mentally kicking my own ass for making that promise but I knew that it was best to give him a cool down period.

Felix took me out to a welcome dinner and introduced me to a couple of his friends, Caius and Jane. They were also music majors and had been in the program that I was there for the previous year and they were happy to tell me how great it was and how much they learned under Dr. Volturi. I was excited to start the program knowing how much the students learned under someone so gifted and knowledgeable and yet there was a pit of despair lodged in my stomach. I couldn't get Edward off of my mind.

Later that night, as I lay in bed, my mind wouldn't stop thinking even though I should have been sleeping. I was exhausted but my resolve was wearing thin and before I knew what I was doing, I picked up my phone and called Edward. The phone rang until his voice mail picked up and I left him a message asking him to please call me.

He never did.

I called him three or four times a day for a month but his voice mail had long since filled up and it seemed as though he hadn't bothered to listen to the messages. I tried to e-mail him but my messages bounced back to me which indicated that he had blocked me. I tried setting up different accounts and reaching him that way but I never got a response. It was no use trying to Skype him because his name had disappeared off of my list and I was spiraling into depression fast.

I called Alice and Bella and they both told me that Edward was good. He told them we were just on a break while I was gone but at that point I had gotten the message loud and clear, Edward didn't love me anymore. I asked them to please let me know how he was doing if they noticed anything strange but once a month or so they reported back and said he was doing okay, a little anti-social, but mostly just focusing on his school work.

That little piece of information shattered what was left of my already broken heart. He was so okay with breaking up with me that he had cut me out of his life completely and was adjusting well to life on his own. I wasn't adjusting quite so well but being in Liverpool with a bunch of people who didn't really know me, it didn't seem to matter much. They all saw me as the introverted musician who kept to himself and spent most of his time writing in his notebook.

I was constantly writing down lyrics to songs when I wasn't involved with work for the music program. Most of them referred to my situation with Edward, and I thought that would make me feel better, but it didn't. It just kept everything so close to the surface that I had a hard time trying to move on. My heart just wasn't in it, whatever was left of it anyway.

Working with Dr. Volturi was like nothing I had ever experienced before. I knew I that I had to be a little more than okay before I got there or they wouldn't have chosen me, but boy did I have no clue just how much I had to learn. The whole time I tried to soak up as much new information as I could, whether it was from Dr. Volturi himself or one of the advanced music students that always volunteered to help with practice sessions and one-on-one time.

I mastered the guitar with the help of Caius, Felix's friend from dinner the first night and Jane helped me with my keyboard and piano skills. I learned how to play the drums, but decided it just wasn't my thing, so I went back to my beloved stringed instruments and figured out the bass guitar with a little help from Chelsea, who was Jane's girlfriend.

During the middle of the first semester, Dr. Volturi gave us our first performance assignment. We were to go out and find a place to do a public performance with a minimum of twenty people watching, then either play or sing for an hour and record it.

I asked around and found a place called Hemingways Coffee House that was willing to let me set up my performance in the corner and play during the afternoon rush. On a Friday afternoon in March, I played some of my songs for the customers while Felix recorded me. The reaction to my music was incredible. It was during that hour that a spark lit deep inside of me and I realized just how much I loved performing.

The one downfall was that all of my music was about Edward and by the end of the set, my heart was once again flayed down to a sliver of nothing, but then something incredible happened. I was packing up my guitar after I had profusely thanked the audience for sitting through my performance when two guys approached me.

"Hey, that was pretty good, mate," one of them, the tall dark haired boy, said to me. "Do you do this often?"

"Nah, that was my cherry popper there..." I replied, giving them a small smile.

"Cherry popper?" the shorter blond laughed. "That's a good one, you're funny!

"Thanks, I try. Name's Jasper, by the way." I offered my hand to them.

The tall guy shook my hand first. "I'm Demitri and this is Alec." Blondie shook my hand next.

"We're starting a band and after seeing you play up there, we'd like you to consider practicing with us. We need a good lead singer who can play guitar and we think your style just might fit with ours," Demitri explained.

"That's an interesting proposition." A band? Was that something I wanted to do? Would it even be fair to join a band when I wouldn't be staying in Liverpool for very long? A million questions were racing through my mind but all I could really think about was that I felt more alive up on that stage performing than I had in the three months prior. "Can we sit down and talk about it a bit more?"

They nodded and we sat down in a corner booth where we discussed our musical goals. I explained to them that I was only in the country for the music program, and that when it was over I'd be going back to the States because I'd be out of the dorms and have no where else to go.

"I think we can cross that bridge when we get to it," Alec told me as he stood up. "Let's go find out if we are even any good together!"

We left the coffee shop and headed over to Demitri's garage where we sat around and jammed. We played some really well known stuff together and the sound just flowed. It didn't take much to convince any of us that we should definitely give the band a chance and before long I was juggling band practice with all my music homework. I barely had time to think, let alone be depressed about Edward.

About six weeks after we started practicing together, Demitri came bounding into the practice space practically vibrating with excitement. "I got us a gig!" he shouted and then jumped, fist pumping the air.

"What? Are you serious?" Demitri asked as he tackled Alec to the ground laughing in the process. I joined in the little group huddle on the floor adding, "That's fucking awesome, man! Where?"

"Hemingways Coffee House!"

"For real?" We picked ourselves up off the floor and sat on the couch in the corner where we had our band discussions.

"Yeah, for real! I was in there today with my mate and we were having a chat about the band when Aro overheard us and asked if we'd like to play for the crowd. He said he'd been wanting to bring in more live entertainment ever since Jasper played his set there and that he was willing to pay us to play this Friday afternoon!"

"That's incredible," Demitri told him. "We should seriously start talking about band names! We'll need something really cool, something that fits our style!"

"What about something like Inspired Broken Hearts? I mean, not trying to point out the obvious but Jasper's songs are all inspired by his break up..." Alec suggested.

"I'd rather not," I told him immediately. "I don't want a band name that reminds me of the heart break; living it through the songs is bad enough, man."

"What about Clockwork Destruction?" Demitri and Alec just looked at me like I was crazy and shook their heads no. "Well, what have you got to suggest?" I asked Demitri.

"Dead Imagination!" he shouted. We laughed our asses off as we threw out the most random things we could come up with, from names like Consolidated Death and Death Balls to Feather of Fire or Explicit Crisis.

"What about Exposed of the Heroic?" I threw it out there suddenly, seriously considering it. It was edgy and different, not like anything I knew was out there at the time. The guys stopped laughing and thought about it.

Alec was the first to answer. "I like it; it's edgy..."

"Yeah, that's bloody brilliant!" Demitri added. "I mean, it's different and it's pretty rockin'!"

"So, is that it? Did we actually just come up with the name of our band?" I asked, almost completely in disbelief. It was finally setting in that it was a real band, with a live gig and everything.

"Yeah, mate, we did. Now, let's get some practice in so we can rock it out on Friday!" That was Alec's way of motivating us to get up and get shit done.

When Friday finally rolled around, the coffee house was packed with all of our friends, Alec and Demitri's family, a bunch of people we didn't know, and to my surprise, Dr. Volturi had shown up. The whole thing was supposed to be really exciting, but all I kept thinking about was how I was about to play with my band for the first time and Edward didn't even know about it.

I had still tried randomly to get a hold of him but none of my messages were being returned. I asked Bella and Alice to give him the message because, come on, that was the biggest thing that had happened to me since the scholarship and they both told me that they thought it was best not to rock the boat and drag Edward back into it, so they didn't tell him.

It definitely put a damper on my mood but I had to be a professional about it. Alec and Demitri were counting on me. We started off by playing a couple covers of popular rock tunes that the crowd seemed to really enjoy and then we threw in one of my original songs and the crowd seemed to enjoy that even more. So we mixed it up with originals and covers, and by the end of the hour and fifteen minute slot, the adrenaline running through my veins was at least four times as crazy as I had felt after I finished my solo performance in the same place. It was amazing!

Over the next several months, the band really took off in Liverpool and we moved from Hemingways to some of the bigger coffee shops. One of the coordinators of the Liverpool International Music Festival invited us to participate due to the reputation we were gaining as a viable up and coming rock band. It was the biggest thing to happen to us as a band and we were hoping to gain even more fans from being exposed to such a large number of people.

Dr. Volturi was a huge supporter of the band and even offered to get us in contact with a friend of his who owned a small music studio so we could go in and record a demo CD to sell at the festival.

Things happened so fast for Exposed of the Heroic after that. We were a huge hit even though we weren't a headlining act, and we sold all 500 copies of the demo we brought with us. A talent scout from London talked to us about coming to London to play for his record label's CEO and the Executive Producer, which we did in October during my fall break from school. I only had a couple more months of school after that to get through which flew by since we were still doing gigs on the side in Liverpool and traveling to London every other weekend to work on recording our first album.

I spent any free time I had writing new material and trying not to think about how lonely I really was because I was lucky to be getting the break with my music and the band. Nighttime, right before I went to sleep, was the worst for me because it was the only real downtime I had. All my memories of Edward would come flooding back and every single night I could feel my heart breaking all over again. It was pure agony.

I had decided to stay in Britain with the band because I figured I had nothing to look forward to back home since Edward was no longer willing to be a part of my life and things were as good as they were going to be for me at that point.

I graduated the music program with honors and made what I hoped to be a life-long friend in Felix, who was someone I could talk to about anything, even the stuff I didn't want to share with Alec and Demitri. It was hard to leave Liverpool after the year was up, but we made the move to London because it was the best thing for the band. It was so much closer to our record label and we started doing gigs at bigger events than we'd had in Liverpool. We were no longer playing coffee houses, but doing actual shows in much bigger venues all over London and the surrounding cities.

When our album finally dropped we weren't expecting to it to be as successful as it was, but it was pleasantly surprising. We were invited to be guests on several talk shows and radio morning shows to promote Exposed of the Heroic. It was crazy, but Alec, Demitri and I were having the time of our lives with the music, huge performances and the crazy fans who we owed everything to.

Life was good.

During the next three years, Exposed of the Heroic really hit the big time: sold out shows, outrageous merchandise sales, we had three albums out at that point, each one went platinum at least once and finally after playing everywhere we could in Britain, we made the decision to expand our horizons and do a world tour, starting with the U.S.

Once I was back on home soil, it was great. I mean, it's true what they say, you don't know what you've got until it's gone. I missed my family and friends more than I could describe, even though I had been home to visit a couple of times during those years. I was aware that Edward no longer lived in Washington. They tell me he moved to Chicago for a job, but I suspected he moved to get away from my memory. I'm pretty sure I would've done the same thing.

So that's why when I found out we were going to be playing a gig in Chicago my heart began to race, my stomach twisted up in knots and I was pretty sure I was going to throw up. I didn't know what I was more afraid of, that Edward was going to turn up at the show to see me or that he wasn't.

The anticipation leading up to that particular show was enough to make a person go insane. It was bad enough that my emotional state began to waver from night after night of going on stage and wearing my heart on my sleeve, performing songs that did nothing but remind me of broken hearts, love lost, and the anger and bitterness that had settled into the core of my being from losing Edward. It was tiresome and seriously wearing me down, but I couldn't let the guys down. They were counting on me just as much as I counted on them, so I endured what I had to for the sake of the band.

Doomsday, as I had started to call it, arrived far too soon and not quite soon enough for my liking. I felt like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with all my mood swings leading up to that day. One minute I was hoping to see him and the next I was fearing for my sanity if I did. During one of my hopeful times I made sure that his name was on the list to get backstage in case he did show up, not that I had a way to let him know that he could if he wanted to, but hey, I did what I could.

I had to give Alec and Demitri credit for putting up with me in all my moody glory during that time, but with Felix not around for me to talk to, I'd finally told the guys the whole story one night when I was feeling sorry for myself (and had drank a quarter bottle of bourbon by myself), so they cut me some slack.

I was in my dressing room getting ready for the show when I felt it, that strange connection that Edward and I had always had. I know some people would tell me I was crazy for thinking so but I knew he was there, I could just feel him and when we finally took the stage, my eyes sought him out frantically.

There he was in the second row staring back at me. My soul felt complete momentarily before it shattered again as I remembered why it had been over four years since I'd seen him. I went through the show on auto-pilot as everything ran through my head. No matter how involved with the audience I was, I couldn't get Edward off my mind. I was hyper-aware of his presence as I sang the songs I had written about him directly to him, which just emotionally drained me even faster than the music usually did.

The show was nearly over when Edward got up and walked out. I honestly wanted to break down right then and there because no matter how much I wanted to be angry with him, my heart needed him and he was walking away from me again. We ended the show with a bang as we always did and as soon as the curtain was pulled for the final time, I just dropped to the ground, put my head on my knees and folded my hands behind my head. I needed a moment and the guys must have sensed that because they didn't ask me what was wrong, they just grabbed my guitar from where it was lying on the floor beside me and left the stage.

I can't tell you how long I stayed that way, but soon my legs and back couldn't handle the distorted position I was in and I forced myself to get up. I took my time wandering back to my dressing room, not wanting to face the emptiness of my life anymore. The weight of it all was killing me.

The closer I got to my dressing room the angrier I got. Edward had given up on me once and that nearly broke me, but knowing that he was able to walk away from me again threatened to destroy any semblance of sanity I had remaining.

As soon as I entered my dressing room, I walked straight to the chair by my vanity mirror and stripped out of my sweat soaked shirt. I looked into the mirror and that's when my eyes met Edward's in the mirror. "Edward..." I whispered.

"Jasper..." I tried to put a clamp on the river of emotions flowing through me at that moment and when Edward touched my shoulder, it was almost too much. There was no way that one touch should have evoked such a sense of rightness in me, but I had to get away before I forgot how mad I was.

I sat down on the couch and lit a cigarette. Something I didn't do often but my nerves were beyond shot and I needed something to do with my hands. "I thought you'd left..." I told him, trying to keep my voice neutral.

"When did you start smoking?" Really? He hadn't spoken to me in four years and he leads off with a question like that?

I couldn't keep the irritation out of my voice as I answered him. "There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Edward."

He looked uncomfortable and hurt by my words, but he'd hurt me more than I could ever begin to explain, so maybe I was lashing out a bit and I didn't feel too bad about it. "Can I sit?" He was treating me like a skittish little kid which was amusing.

"Yeah... whatever." He sat next to me, too close and yet not close enough. I could feel his body heat but he wasn't touching me which I couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not.

"Listen, Jasper, I know we've got a lot to talk about but I don't really wanna do it here. Will you come back to my place with me?"

Now that threw me for a loop. I wanted to go back to his place like nobody's business, but then again, I knew if I did I wouldn't end up leaving until we were both naked which was not a place we needed to be at that moment. "I've got to leave in the morning."

Edward considered my excuse for about half a second before deflecting. "I know and I swear to have you back on time, I just really need to spend some time with you and if I know you at all, you want the same." He reached for my hand and when his fingers threaded through mine, my heart began to race wildly. I didn't pull away. "Please, Jas, I miss you."

I couldn't make up my mind, the whole Jekyll/Hyde thing again. Could my heart handle one night with Edward and then force itself to leave in the morning? I wasn't sure. I knew I wanted him more than I was willing to admit, but my sanity was wearing thin. In the end, my want outweighed the potential downfall. "Alright," I answered, "But I need to shower first."

"You can shower at my place if you want; I'm sure it's cleaner."

With my mind made up, I stood and pulled Edward up with me, trying not to let go of him since I felt right again for the first time in four years, but our feet got tangled and he slipped. I instinctively wrapped my arms around his waist to keep him from falling and when he was upright again he leaned into me and my resolve nearly broke right there. "Thanks," he whispered after I let go to grab the stuff I would need for an overnight with him.

The ride back to his place was quiet, but I couldn't force myself to stop touching him, so I kept my hand on his thigh the whole time and he didn't stop me.

Once we got into his apartment, he led me to the bathroom and I showered the sweat and stink off of me. I never felt human after a show until I washed the night away, which meant letting go of all the emotions and vulnerability that seeped from my pores while I sang my heart out for the audience. I dressed in my flannel pants, foregoing a t-shirt, and walked out to sit on one end of the couch.

Edward sat at the other end and offered me a beer. I accepted and took several drinks, trying to work up the courage to ask the most important question I needed answered. Finally, when I couldn't take the awkward silence any longer, I blurted out, "Why did you give up on me?" I knew Edward could see right through me in that moment.

He didn't hesitate, as though he'd been waiting for the chance to explain. "I was so mad when I woke up and you were gone. I kept expecting you to show back up but you never did."

"You were supposed to be supportive and happy for me but you couldn't do that. I needed you and you let me down." I swallowed the last drink of beer and set it down on the coffee table harder than I meant to.

"I realize that now, Jas, but back then all I could see was the one person who was always there for me abandoning me. I ended up shattering my phone and didn't bother getting a new one for a month because I felt like if you weren't there then what was the point?"

I was debating whether or not to start drinking the bourbon when Edward reached out and poured two glasses and handed one to me. "I tried to call you, email you, text you, anything to get you to talk to me and I failed miserably..." I downed the bourbon in one gulp. "Then I got a hold of Alice a few months later and she said you seemed fine, a bit withdrawn but overall okay, and that was the point when I realized that I must've meant nothing to you and that was the final blow that smashed my heart."

Edward scooted over to my end of the couch, our legs pressed against each other. "Jasper, you're the only person who has ever meant anything to me. Do you know how hard it was for me to pretend that everything was okay? It was all an act and once I realized how absolutely selfish I was being, I knew you deserved better than that, than me."

That angered me beyond belief and I kind of lost it. "Maybe I did, Edward, but you're the only person I've ever wanted... that I've ever loved, and you gave up on us. How am I supposed to get past that? I fucking need you so desperately and I don't know how to move on."

Edward looked so desperate as he looked me in the eye. "I'm so sorry, Jas, so fucking sorry, but I still need you too. What do you need from me? What can I do to make this up to you? Please give me a second chance to prove that you're all I've ever needed."

I knew what I needed to say and I knew what I needed to know but I grabbed the bottle of bourbon off the table and took a long drink from it. "There's just one thing I need to know tonight and we can work the rest of it out later because, fuck, Edward, I can't live without you anymore if there's the option of being with you."

"What is it, Jasper? What do you need to know? I'll tell you anything... just please?"

My heart about popped out of my chest as I whispered the question I didn't know if I could handle the answer to. "Has there been anyone else?"

"No one..." he immediately answered without hesitation. "There was a boy in a club once, one of Bella's friends, but once he touched me I couldn't go through with it; I couldn't stand the thought of anyone else touching me. It's always been you and only you."

I could feel every ounce of sincerity and honesty in his answer and it touched me in a way I hadn't expected and before I realized what I'd done, I had him pinned up against the arm of the couch. I could feel all of him against me and it was indescribable, way better than getting up on stage and performing. "You've spent four years celibate because of me?" I asked him, completely touched at the show of love and faith.

"No, I've spent four years celibate because of me, because of my own stupidity... has there been anyone else for you?" he asked me, uncertainty lacing his voice.

I leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "No one... I just didn't expect that from you. I always had hope; I just thought you'd given up."

Edward pulled me closer to him, holding me so tight that no part of us wasn't touching the other. "I could never give up... I've always wanted you." He ground his pelvis against mine for the first time in far, far too long. "I love you, Jasper."

We thrust against each other frantically, chasing the first of what I was hoping to be many orgasms for the night. Lord knows we had years of lost time to make up for before I realized I didn't want our first time back together to be like that. I had something better in mind. "Edward... stop... STOP!"

The sheer look of terror and shame in his eyes broke my heart again. He was doubting me again and I had to explain as he turned to hide his face from me. "No, don't... That's not... I just meant... I don't want to do it like this. Not our first time together again, I mean."

There were tears in his eyes when he finally gathered the courage to look at me again and I couldn't help but brush them away as they fell down his cheek. "Jasper, I need to know something, too..."

"What?"

"Can you ever forgive me for what I did? For the time we lost because of my selfishness? Because if you can't, then this is never going to work..."

I leaned in and cut him off before he could continue to doubt what we had. When our lips met for the first time it was quite possibly the most passionate, emotionally driven kiss that we'd ever shared and nothing in my life had ever felt so right and I'd hoped he could tell that I had let it all go. "Take me to bed..." I pleaded.

We made our way to Edward's bedroom where we finally, FINALLY reconnected our love for each other in the most primal and intimate way. There were no more doubts left in my mind, Edward and I were going to make it. He was my soul mate, and if we could endure everything that had happened and come out on this side of if stronger than before, then nothing could tear us apart.


End file.
